[Infection management in surgical intensive care patients].

Achieving significant reductions in the rate of infections contracted in hospital requires an integrated approach. Such an approach is comprised of standardized procedures in the areas of prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and tracking. Prevention must begin by differentiating between exogeneous and primary or secondary endogenous infections. For infections already contracted, diagnosis and therapy must be standardized to the greatest possible extent, thereby discouraging recourse to a polypragmatic approach. Finally, tracking provides important information about the type, number, and origin of infections, as well as about the resistance of pathogens and the success of infection-control techniques. Standardization should not be limited to a single ward or hospital, but should extend to the national and even international level.