[The role of the council of Europe in the field of health].

To understand the actions of the Council of Europe in the field of human health, it is necessary first to understand the founding ideals, that is to say the creation in 1949 of a European institution capable of anticipating and avoiding differences and conflicts between the member states, whatever their standard of living. For the creation of status objectives, the Council has an appropriate working structure; the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, non governmental organisations and the European Health Committee, which proposes, develops and oversees the effective application of health measures and social protection. Several hundred recommendations have thus been adopted by the Committee of Ministers.

[Critical study of surveillance of nosocomial infections].

The institution of a continuous surveillance program is a compulsory prerequisite to the effective control of nosocomial infections. This is actually the main task of the Committee for Nosocomial Infection Control as ruled by the decree of 8 May 1988. The methodology of this surveillance relies on the continuous collection of data.

[Where is the experience of "Pilot-Hospitals" in hospital hygiene? First approach of a quality label].

The testing of "Pilot-Hospitals", which started in early 1990, is being continued and expanded: the continuous monitoring of cross infections in "Pilot-Hospitals" according to one single methodology, the one recommended by the Council of Europe, has enabled us to record and to analyse 5,389 reports of infections for the year 1990. Urinary tract infection is the most common site of nosocomial infection (36.5%), followed by broncho-pulmonary complications (22%), local complications (15%) and septicaemias (12.

[Pilot hospitals: hope for improving the control of nosocomial infections].

Nosocomial infections are both poorly studied and quantified (between 3.68% to 21% depending on the author). Not only do they seriously affect patients but they are also extremely expensive both in direct and indirect costs as shown by actual cases.

[Microbiological aspects of nosocomial risks of suction bottles].

The suction and collection of more or less contaminated biological fluids or regurgitated matter in reusable glass bottles may be responsible for nosocomial infections. Based on a study conducted in 49 cases, the authors try to demonstrate the microbiological risks in the operating theatre of changing and transport of these bottles and the risks for the environment and the hospital staff in the cleaning of these bottles. The connection to the vacuum system was found to be contaminated in 26.

Reduction of infection after cardiac surgery: a clinical trial.

Between January 1, 1975, and June 1, 1984, 3,275 patients underwent cardiac operations with cardiopulmonary bypass. No operations were performed in 1978. In Phase I of the study, general operating rooms were used for cardiac operations, and standard methods of antisepsis and asepsis were used.

[Asepsis and hospital architecture: the surroundings of the operating theatre (author's transl)].

The author contends one can not plan an operatief theatre and its organization, if it is dissociated from its immediate dependencies, entrances and exists. a) The necessity of the following dependencies is discussed: 1. an anesthetic room forming a sas between the entrance hall for the patient and the operating room that makes possible the preop.