[Nosocomial infections].

It is estimated for the year 2006 that around 500,000 to 600,000 nosocomial infections occurred in Germany and that among these 10,000 to 15,000 patients died of the infection. Nosocomial infections in general lengthen the duration of hospitalisation by on average 4 days - with associated extra costs of 4000 to 20,000 Euro per case. About a third of all infections acquired in hospital are considered to be avoidable. However, the classification of an infection as nosocomial does not automatically mean that a causal relationship exists between a medical intervention and the occurrence of the infection. Also a nosocomial infection is not a synonym for medical or nursing errors. The first epidemiological report of the EU emphasises the health-political and health-economical significance of nosocomial infections and classifies the increasing number of infections acquired in hospitals as a most important danger - even higher than the threats of pandemic influenza and HIV. (c) Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart New York.