Current Utilization of Antifungal Agents for Intra-abdominal Infections Categorized by Patient Risk Factors During Surgical Procedures: A Literature Review

The high morbidity and mortality rates associated with invasive fungal infections have led to the overutilization of empiric antifungal therapies. With increasing antibiotic resistance, the careful consideration of prophylactic or empiric antifungal use is critical. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the available literature regarding the current practice of utilizing antifungal agents for intra-abdominal infections based on specific surgical procedures and patient risk factors. Relevant articles were identified through a comprehensive literature search of several databases using the keywords antifungal agents, postoperative period, preoperative care, surgical procedures, and intra-abdominal infections. Only articles that evaluated the use of empiric antifungals for suspected or confirmed intra-abdominal infections and surgical procedures were included in this review. Based on the available literature, antifungal prophylaxis is appropriate in patients who meet the criteria for high-risk invasive candidiasis, kidney or liver transplant recipients, severely-immunocompromised patients with perforated peptic ulcer, peritonitis, and patients on peritoneal dialysis who are failing on a therapeutic antibiotic regimen. We acknowledge that the evidence for using antifungal therapy empirically for all surgical procedures is lacking, and the following review is based on available literature and current guidelines.