Appropriate and unnecessary hygiene measures in anaesthesia and the ICU

The objective of this review is to describe which hygiene measures are appr opriate and necessary in anaesthesia and the ICU and which are not, whereby unnecessary hygiene measures are those which are not substantiated by scie ntific data. The most effective single infection control measure is still h and disinfection between patient contacts. Unnecessary measures include rou tine sampling of environmental surfaces, disinfecting the floor in the ICU, protective gowns for visitors, so called in-line filters in the infusion s ystem etc. Ventilator tubes only need to be exchanged once a week, even whe n no HMEs are used.