[Panophthalmitis as a nosocomial infection]

The submitted paper deals with an epidemic of severe postoperative panophthalmitis, its development, course, causes and sequelae incl. epidemiological characteristics. The disease developed in four patients 40 hours after operation of cataract. Despite treatment all four patients developed septicaemia and therefore the affected eyeballs were eviscerated. From smears of the conjunctival sac of the affected patients and from the contents of the eviscerated eyeball Proteus mirabilis and Enterobacter cloaceae were cultivated. The authors draw attention to the epidemiological association with the eye lotion BSS which was used from which Proteus mirabilis and E. coli were cultivated and with the Ringer solution from which Enterobacter cloaceae and Klebsiella pneumoniae were cultivated. An epidemiological analysis of the epidemic was made and provisions were defined to rule out its recurrence.