A Themed Issue in Honor of Prof. Dr. Fausto Catena—Outstanding Contributions in the Fields of Antibiotics in the Acute Care and Emergency
A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Antibiotics Use and Antimicrobial Stewardship".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2026) | Viewed by 1148
Special Issue Editor
Interests: emergency surgery; trauma surgery; minimally invasive surgery; sepsis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Professor Fausto Catena has contributed significantly to the field of the appropriate use of antibiotic therapy in acute care and emergency settings.
He is one of the founders and currently Editor in Chief of the World Journal of Emergency Surgery. He also drafted all the international WSES guidelines for emergency surgery and trauma (open abdomen, adhesion syndromes, occlusions from left colon cancer, intra-abdominal infections, soft tissue infections, hepatic trauma, splenic trauma, acute mesenteric ischemia, acute cholecystitis, acute appendicitis, acute diverticulitis, pelvic trauma, complicated hernias, perforations after endoscopy, severe acute pancreatitis, clostridium, acute esophagus).
In this context, he played a significant role by broadening the application of internationally agreed-upon guidelines regarding the standard treatment of severe intra-abdominal sepsis, the source control of intra-abdominal sepsis, and the management of Clostridium Difficile infections. His work facilitated the prompt implementation of infection prevention and control measures, as well as the enhancement of treatment protocols for surgical patients, taking into account the latest advancements in managing these infections.
He advocates for the application of antibiotic de-escalation in emergency general surgery, particularly focusing on the evidence surrounding acute appendicitis and acute cholecystitis.
Professor Catena, along with his colleagues, is a co-author of the Declaration on Infection Prevention and Management in Global Surgery. This document advocates for surgeons to be proactive in preventing and managing infections in their daily practices. It emphasizes collaboration as a fundamental aspect of delivering care that meets patient needs and enhances individual outcomes as well as overall healthcare effectiveness. If surgeons worldwide engage in this collective effort, they be crucial in tackling this global issue.
Professor Catena pursued a degree in medicine and surgery at the University of Bologna from 1989 to 1995, subsequently completing his specialization in general surgery at the same institution in 2000. From 2001 to 2011, he served as the senior consultant surgeon at the General, Emergency, and Transplant Surgery Department of Sant’ Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy. Since January 2012, he has held the position of Director of the Emergency Surgery Department at the University Hospital of Parma. As of October 2021, he has been the Director of the General, Emergency and Trauma Surgery at Maurizio Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, Italy.
Professor Catena has authored over 900 scientific publications, including more than 400 indexed in PubMed, contributed over 40 chapters to national and international books, and written a monograph on abdominal adhesions, boasting an H index of 77.
He was the principal author of all international WSES guidelines for emergency surgery and trauma. He has received more than 25 national and international scientific awards and recognitions. In 2010, he was honored with the President of the Republic Award for the best young Italian surgeon. He has personally conducted over 4,000 surgical procedures classified as high- and medium-risk general surgery.
He is affiliated with more than 20 national and international scientific organizations. Additionally, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Society of Geriatric Surgery and has previously served as the President of the Italian Society of Young Surgeons.
Since 2012, he has held the title of Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in the UK. In 2013, he achieved national qualification as a first- and second-level professor in the field of general surgery, a status that was reaffirmed in 2018. He has been a member of the Central Emilia Regional Ethics Committee since 2018.
His research endeavors include emergency surgery, including intra-abdominal infections, obstructions, and trauma; kidney transplantation with a focus on graft preservation; oncological surgery, particularly concerning GIST and carcinomatosis through cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC; colorectal surgery, addressing both elective and emergency cases of colorectal cancer and diverticular disease; and abdominal wall surgery utilizing biological prostheses.
In 2024, he attained the position of associate professor in the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences at the University of Bologna, marking a significant achievement in his career.
Dr. Carlo Vallicelli
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- emergency surgery
- intra-abdominal infections
- antibiotic treatment
- trauma surgery
- sepsis
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