The immunosuppressed patient

Abstract

Surgical decision making for urgent and emergency problems can be complex, and this is amplified in the immunosuppressed patient. Diagnoses and management, both operative and non-operative, require an understanding of the individual challenges and risks coupled with different types of immunosuppression, as well as broad knowledge base of the infectious and non-infectious conditions that can result in surgical disease. This chapter reviews some common acquired or induced immunocompromised conditions, the common pathogens and pathophysiology that manifests in immunocompromised patients, and treatment and prevention strategies for these acute care surgical problems in the context of the immunosuppressed individual.