INTRODUCTION: The World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) recently developed and validated a sepsis severity score for complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs). We aimed to prospectively study the validity of this score in our local setting and compare it with global findings. METHODS: In a prospective study of 100 consecutive adult patients with cIAIs treated at Al-Ain Hospital, United Arab Emirates, from October 2014 to January 2016, we studied patients' demographics, disease, risk factors, WSES Sepsis Severity Score, management, hospital stay and mortality. Our findings were compared with those from a recent global multicentre prospective study from 53 countries (n = 4,496). RESULTS: Compared with global data, our patients were more likely to be male (p < 0.0001) and younger (p < 0.0001), with more appendicitis and perforated peptic ulcers (p < 0.0001), significantly lower sepsis severity score (p < 0.0001) and more delays in surgical intervention (p = 0.001). Nevertheless, they had similar adequate source control (p = 0.54) and surgical reinterventions (p = 0.63). Overall, our patients had a significantly lower mortality rate (1.0% vs. 9.3% in global data; p = 0.001). A direct logistic regression model showed that the WSES Sepsis Severity Score significantly predicted mortality (p < 0.0001), but our hospital's setting was not predictive of mortality compared with other hospitals (p = 0.18). CONCLUSION Although our patient demographics and hospital's setting significantly differed from those of other international hospitals, the WSES Sepsis Severity Score was very accurate in predicting mortality among our patients, which supports its generalisability for all patient populations worldwide.

Intra-abdominal infections (IAI) is common surgical emergencies and have been reported as major contributors to non-trauma deaths in hospitals worldwide. The principles of IAI management included early diagnosis, adequate source control, appropriate antimicrobial therapy, and prompt physiologic stabilization using critical care resources, combined with an optimal surgical approach. In order to facilitate clinical management, establish a global standard and provide guidance for clinicians, the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES), the Global Alliance for Infection in Surgery (GAIS), the Surgical Infection Society-Europe (SIS-E), the World Surgical Infection Society (WSIS), and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) worked together to complete an international multi-society document, which provided the evidence-based clinical pathways. Herein, we made a comprehensive interpretation for the clinical pathways combined with the latest domestic and international research developments, aiming to provide evidence for domestic doctors on the diagnosis and treatment of IAI, and ultimately benefit patients.