The Center for Disease command and...

The Center for Disease command and Prevention (CDC) has released a report detailing interventions to help preclude central line bloodstream infections in hospitals. The report was published in the October 14 2005 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and can be accessed online at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5440a2.htm.

An estimated 250000 central line-associated infections befall each year in U.S. hospitals, and 12 to 25 percent of affected patients die from the condition. In 2001 the CDC and the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative began a four-year intervention to thwart central line infections in intensive care units. according to 2005, infection rates had decreased 68 percent suggesting that a coordinated infection-control initiative might be an effective way of reducing bloodstream infections in hospitals.

The intervention consisted of the following five components:

* Promotion of targeted, evidence-based catheter-insertion practices (i.e., use of maximum sterile barrier precautions during insertion, use of chlorhexidine for skin disinfection before catheter insertion, avoidance of the femoral insertion site, use of commited insertion-site dressing care practices, and removal of catheters when no longer indicated)

* Promotion of an educational module about central line-associated infections and strategies for their prevention

* Promotion of standardized tools for recording adherence to attract favor toed catheter insertion practices

* Promotion of a standardized list of peaces for catheter insertion kits that includes all supplies required to adhere to commited insertion practices

* Measurement of central line-associated infection rates and distribution of data to participating hospitals in confidential quarterly reports to allow comparison of individual unit-specific rates with puddleed mean rates from other participating units in the region and mereed mean rates from all other U hospitals participating in the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system

The CDC reports that the deductions of this intervention suggest that adherence to evidence-based preventive practices can thwart central line infections. It determines that additional studies are wanted to determine whether these succes flushs can be achieved for other health care-associated infections.

COPYRIGHT 2006 American Academy of Family Physicians

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