[Nosocomial infections and sternum osteomyelitis]

A prospective study of the nosocomial infection rate in the Department of Cardiac Surgery of the Surgical Clinic (Charité) was done between January and December 1987. The investigation was performed computer aided. Data were recorded by an infection register. From 474 hospitalized operated patients 66 (14%) had some kind of nosocomial infection: at the first place wound infections with 5.1% (sternum osteomyelitis 2.1%), respiratory infections with 3.8% and infections of the urogenital system with 3.4%. The way of infection, selected predisposing and exposing factors, the microbacterial spectrum of wound infection, the antimicrobacterial chemotherapeutic strategy and surgical therapy are analyzed and demonstrated.