Surgical implications of rising heroin abuse

New Rochelle, NY, March 28, 2019-With heroin abuse on the rise in the United States, related surgical complications are also increasing, including severe infections and complications related to heroin injection. A firsthand perspective on how acute care surgeons can best help reduce heroin-related morbidity and mortality is presented in an article published in Surgical Infections, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers. Click here to read the full-text article free on the Surgical Infections website through April 28, 2019.

In “The Heroin Epidemic in America: A Surgeon’s Perspective,” Gary Vercruysse, MD, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and coauthors from University of Nebraska (Omaha), University of Arizona (Tucson), and University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore) discuss the changing demographics of heroin abuse in the U.S., including growing numbers of women and white Americans. They focus on the main complications of heroin injection, including skin and soft tissue infections, septic thrombophlebitis, and mycotic pseudoaneurysms. Necrotizing soft tissue infection and other types of problems such as bacteremia can also occur. Rapid recognition and management of these complications may be life-saving.

“Infections following the self-administration of heroin and other injectable agents have increased in frequency and severity. These infections are being identified across all cultures and ethnic groups and can no longer be viewed as a problem of minorities and indigent patients,” says Surgical Infections Editor-in-Chief Donald E. Fry, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Executive Vice-President MPA Healthcare Solutions, Chicago, IL.

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About the Journal

Surgical Infections is a comprehensive and authoritative peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the biology, prevention, and management of post-operative infections. Published eight times per year in print and online, the Journal delivers original articles covering the latest advances, new therapeutic management strategies, and translational research that is being applied to improve clinical outcomes and successfully treat post-operative infections. Surgical Infections is the Official Journal of the Surgical Infection Society (SIS), SIS-Europe, SIS-Latin America, and the Chinese Society of Surgical Infection and Intensive Care. For complete information and a sample issue, please visit the Surgical Infections website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Advances in Wound Care, Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques and Videoscopy, and Photomedicine and Laser Surgery. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.