Objective: To better assess the diagnosis of an infection in patients presenting at an emergency department with peripheral blood leukocytosis (>10 x 10(9) cells/l) on laboratory testing.
Methods: We prospectively evaluated serum procalcitonin concentration (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Patients were divided into two groups according to their final diagnosis: patients with infection and those without infection.
Background: In this retrospective study, the possibility of using amoxicillin/clavulanate for empirical therapy of secondary peritonitis as an alternative to imipenem was explored.
Methods: All secondary peritonitis cases at our institution between 1998 and 2000 were included. Susceptibility to imipenem and amoxicillin/clavulanate of microorganisms isolated in peritoneal fluid and success rates were compared.