LAUSR

Intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) occur in 2.4%-26.6% of patients who undergo gastrectomy for gastric cancer and are occasionally serious. However, there are few reports on the causative organisms of IAI following upper gastrointestinal tract surgery and the subsequent risk factors for Candida infection. This study aimed to identify the microorganisms causing IAIs after gastrectomy and the risk factors for Candida-related IAI. The records of patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer between January 2009 and December 2019 at Shizuoka General Hospital were retrospectively collected. Patients with IAIs of grade 2 or higher as measured by the Clavien-Dindo classification were included in the analysis. The selected patients were divided into a Candida group and a non-Candida group according to the presence or absence of Candida as the causative organism. Fifty-six (4.1%) of 1379 patients were diagnosed with IAIs after gastrectomy. Fifty-two patients were included based on culture analyses. A total of 111 strains and 28 bacterial species were isolated in the initial culture test. Candida constituted 7.2% of all the identified pathogens. Regarding the risk factors for Candida-related IAI, a history of antimicrobial use and ≥4 postoperative days of IAI development were independent risk factors for Candida-related IAI.