[Nosocomial infections in urology]

Abstract

Nosocomial infections (NI) may be a serious and mostly avoidable consequence of medical procedures and often cause a significant aggravation of the patients underlying disease. Following surgical site infections, urinary tract infections (UTI) represent the second most common fraction of NIs (22.4%) in Germany and contribute to approximately 155,000 nosocomial UTIs (nUTI) every year.Prevention of NI is of utmost individual as well as socioeconomic importance especially regarding the continuing worldwide increase in antibiotic resistance. National legislature has responded to this challenge by amending the German Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (IfSG) and other measures. Their practical importance for various clinical settings in urology is outlined in this overview.The correct use of urinary catheters has the greatest impact for prevention and control as nUTIs are associated with urinary catheters in most of the cases (80%). The recently updated guidelines of the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention of the Robert Koch Institute (KRINKO) and the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) provide detailed recommendations in an evidence-based and practice-oriented manner as summarized in this article.