This study investigated the socio-demographic profile, clinical procedures and etiology of nosocomial infection associated with deaths in the Hospital Estadual Sumaré, state of São Paulo, Brazil, from 2007 to 2008. The retrospective study of medical records (n = 133) revealed an average of 35 days of hospitalization. Most patients (97%) underwent some invasive procedure associated with nosocomial infection (p ≤ 0.05), including: 90 (67.7%) pneumonia, 62 (46.6%), urinary infections and 97 (73%) septicemia. Infection was the leading cause of death in 75 (56.4%) cases, with defined etiology in 110 (82.7%); 34 (30.9%) because of microorganisms that were multidrug-resistant. The most common was Staphylococcus aureus (25%), related to pneumonia and blood stream infection. The monitoring of hospital infection contributed to intervention at risk situation and death.