A PREVALENCE SURVEY OF NOSOCOMIAL INFECTI ONS IN GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS

In a German multicenter survey, 2206 gynaecological patients in 72 ran domly selected hospitals were examined for the prevalence of nosocomia l infections and possible risk factors. Hospital-acquired infections w ere diagnosed in 1.45% of the patients. The most common localisation w as the urinary tract (0.91%). Septicaemia, vaginitis and infections of the upper and lower airways were only rarely seen. The following endo genous risk factors were identified: diseases of the cardiovascular sy stem (16.1%), malignancies (12.2%) preexisting infections (6.1%), obes ity (5.9%), and diabetes (5.0%). The most common exogenous risk factor s were peripheral venous catheters (19.9%), catheterisation of the uri nary tract (7.2%) and wound drainage (28.6%). 49% of the patients who underwent caesarean section and 50% of the hysterectomy patients recei ved antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis.