[Nosocomial infection as the cause of death].

Hospital-acquired infections are a worldwide problem especially in hospitals for the treatment of acute cases. These infections are among the leading causes of death. Certificates of death of 4656 patients who died in hospitals were analysed. Of these, 564 deaths were caused by nosocomial infections (12.1%). It was estimated that annually around 40,000 deaths in the Federal Republic of Germany are attributable to infections acquired in the hospital.