Gram-negative septicaemia in surgical practice.

Septicaemia in surgical patients usually occurs after operation or a manipulative event. The incidence of bacteraemia in one surgical unit was observed over a 7-year period. Gram-negative infections occurred three times more frequently than bacteraemia caused by Gram-positive bacteria. The clinical features of septicaemia, the portals of entry of the infection and the bacteria isolated from blood cultures are described.