**6.3 Approaches for avoiding infectious complications associated with abdominal trauma management**

With the advent of antimicrobial agents, various famous of medical fields believed that infectious diseases would soon disappear. However, currently infections are still marked among the contributors leading to mortality and morbidity worldwide. Infections are still marked as dreaded complications to associate with surgical care and cause unacceptable mortality and morbidity among all kinds of surgical patient. The



**Table 13.**

*Significances of availability of standard care in terms of avoiding the complications associated with abdominal trauma management.*

fact that infections continue to infect patients seeking surgical care warrants the continuous search for the strategies and new technology that can prevent their occurrence. The correct use of antiseptics and of antimicrobial prophylaxis can support to reduce infectious complications associated with the management of abdominal trauma. "Prophylactic antibiotics for patients sustaining penetrating abdominal injuries with intestinal contamination have a role for reducing the rate of incisional wound infection subjected to gastrointestinal soiling" [19]. Moreover, in hospitals where infections are a problematic an infection controls committee may design guideline to follow to protect the patients and trauma care providers from spreading infections and prevent the occurrence of infections and their impacts.

In overall, use of various antimicrobial agents have played a significant role in reduction the burden caused by microorganisms. However, resistance, virulence and unavailability of these agents have been reported as factor limiting the usability of some of these agents. As such scientists continue their discoveries in order to discover agents to use for fighting infections. The recent renewed light based technology (air flow of ultraviolet (UV-C) germicidal emitters, open UV-C germicidal lamps, ozone generators, professional disinfection devises based on UVC radiation and ozone, or the combination of technologies) is being given greater consideration in many countries for fighting infections.

The postulated mechanism of which UV-C radiation inactivates a microorganism is by damaging deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Examples of microbes that are killed by UVC include: *Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcal aureus*, *Methillicin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus* (MRSa), *Staphylococcus epidermidis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis*, *Serratia marcescens, Corynebacterium diptheriae, Legionella pneumophilia Adeno virus type III*, *Coxsackie A2*, *Influenza etc.* Some of these microbes are encountered in traumatic abdominal patients; perhaps some are more resistant to antimicrobials and cause significant mortality among surgical patients. There have been noted success of the use of air disinfection by UVC in surgical rooms and stimulated an expansion of UVC application in hospitals [20]. Evidence indicates that infections continue to be a serious problem in many hospitals. However, there is promising evidence that, light based technology can destroy microorganisms effectively compared to other agents. Shown in **Table 14** are advantages of light over alternative disinfectants, biocides, and anti-infectives [20]. Designing and adopting the use light based technology in surgical field would favor the reduction of infectious complications among traumatic abdominal patient, indeed for all patients and people who interact daily with patients.
