[Infection prevention by the anesthesia team]

The anesthesia team acts every day in a highly complex and high risk environment for the transmission of pathogenic organisms and the induction of infectious complications. With strict adherence to standard precautions and infection control practices in particular regular hand disinfection before and after direct patient contact and before performance of aseptic tasks during anesthesia and an optimized perioperative process the members of the anesthesia team can become infection control pioneers within the hospital. In order to be successful, structural and organizational resources in the form of training, personnel, materials and time, need to be adequate for the situation. This review summarizes the infection control recommendations for anesthesia practice based on the most recent literature and guidelines and offers practical advice for commonly observed mistakes.