Nosocomial infections (NIs) now concern 5 to 15% of hospitalized patients and can lead to
complications in 25 to 33% of those patients admitted to ICUs. The most common causes are
pneumonia related to mechanical ventilation, intra-abdominal infections following trauma or
surgery, and bacteremia derived from intravascular devices. This overview is targeted at ICU
physicians to convince them that the principles of infection control in the ICU are based on
simple concepts and that the application of preventive strategies should not be viewed as an …