Advancing Surgical Infection Science in the Americas: Highlights from the 2025 Panamerican Trauma Congress

Abstract

Surgical site infections (SSIs) and other infectious complications remain a major cause of preventable morbidity across Latin America. SSI prevalence in elective clean and clean-contaminated procedures in Latin America is substantial, and rates may increase further when post-discharge surveillance is incorporated. The XXXVII Panamerican Congress of Trauma, Critical Care, and Emergency Surgery, held in Cuenca, Ecuador, convened over 800 clinicians and researchers and featured a dedicated session focused on infectious complications in trauma and burn care. We present a focused narrative synthesis of five highlighted studies addressing infection prevention, diagnosis, and management in burn care, trauma, and emergency general surgery across the Americas. Collectively, these studies reflect the continental efforts to advance surgical infection science in the Americas and reinforce priorities for standardized SSI and intra-abdominal infection surveillance, including post-discharge follow-up, consistent reporting, and multi-center collaboration to accelerate translation of evidence into practice.