Infections are among the most frequent complications of a stay in hospital and raise the complication and mortality rates. Calculations based on data from the Hospital Infection Surveillance System (Krankenhaus-Infektions-Surveillance-System, KISS) showed an incidence of almost 60,000 newly acquired infections per year in intensive care units in Germany. This is the conclusion reached by Christine Geffers and her coauthor in the current issue of 

(Dtsch Arztebl Int 2011; 108 (6):87-93). 

KISS is a quality assurance tool for hospitals. More than 800 hospitals and 586 intensive care units throughout Germany are enrolled with KISS. 

While the percentage of patients in intensive care who have methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been steady for years, the number with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae is rising. In hospital, the risk of acquiring Clostri-dium difficile-associated diarrhea is higher than the risk of acquiring MRSA. 

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 health care-acquired infections (HAIs) page presents updates on the latest techniques and strategies in the never-ending battle between infection preventionists and HAIs. Focusing on the latest in medical literature, we also present perspectives from the top infection preventionists and other medical experts in the country about how to put the growing knowledge of HAIs into use in the everyday world of infection prevention. Articles and videos often focus on methods to contain and control pathogens and multidrug-resistant organisms from spreading within the health care system.

New Data Show Almost 60,000 ICU Infections Annually in Germany