Optimal approach to source control in intensive care unit patients

Authors

• Mary Cunnion, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, Bridgeport Hospital, Bridgeport, CT, USA.
• Stephanie Bonne, Advocate Health - MidwestFollow

Recommended Citation

Cunnion M, Bonne S. Optimal Approach to Source Control in Intensive Care Unit Patients. Crit Care Clin. 2026;42(3):523-536. doi:10.1016/j.ccc.2025.12.008

Affiliations

Advocate Christ Medical Center

Abstract

Source control is a cornerstone of managing infections and sepsis in the intensive care unit, requiring rapid recognition of infection, targeted diagnostic evaluation, and timely procedural or surgical intervention. This article presents a systems-based approach to identifying infection sources in critically ill patients through clinical assessment, targeted imaging, laboratory testing, and multidisciplinary collaboration. It outlines indications for conservative versus operative management across multiple organ systems. Emphasis is placed on early detection, anatomically focused intervention, prompt drainage of closed-space infections, judicious antibiotic use, and the role of coordinated care among intensivists, surgeons and proceduralists, and infectious disease specialists to optimize outcomes.

Document Type

Article

PubMed ID

42173642