Background: During May and June 2011 an outbreak of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) occurred in Germany. More than 4000 patients were infected of which 800 developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) as a severe complication. Reports in the press led to great concern in the general population. Many people with diarrhea reported to hospitals in order to exclude EHEC infections.
Methods: We describe the management of patients with suspected infectious diarrhea at the university hospital of Essen. A hospital with a significant number of immunocompromised patients.
Results: One important measure to handle the surge of contagious patients was to establish a multidisciplinary coordination team under leadership and guidance of the Department of Nephrology and the Department of Hospital Hygiene. Suspected infectious patients were separated in a modified emergency room. A new ward for infectious diseases was established to isolate in-patients.
Conclusion: In our hospital the management of EHEC outbreak enabled us to treat these additional infectious patients without hampering the treatment of the other patients. As a result we plan the implementation of a coordination team for future epidemics.
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.