What do central venous catheter-associated bloodstream infections have to do with bundles?

Bl Johnston,Jm Conly

doi:10.1155/2005/582156

Abstract

Interest in the patient safety agenda continues to grow in North America. In the United States (US), the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has begun a campaign to make health care safer and more effective by encouraging hospitals to implement interventions they believe can avoid 100,000 deaths between January 2005 and July 2006 (1). The IHI, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1991, promotes the improvement of health by advancing the quality and value of health care (2). Three of the six areas for action chosen by the IHI for their '100,000 Lives Campaign' relate to prevention of nosocomial infections: central line infections, surgical site infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia. In Canada, a grassroots patient safety campaign modelled after the IHI's '100,000 Lives Campaign' has formed (3). This 'Safer Healthcare Now!' campaign focuses on the same six strategies chosen for the '100,000 Lives Campaign'. Across the country, hospitals are being invited to join the 'Safer Healthcare Now!' campaign.

Highlights

In a previous issue of the Journal, we reviewed the relationship between hospital-acquired infection and patient safety [4]
While bloodstream infections (BSIs) are not the most common of nosocomial infections, they have long been recognized as having a significant impact on outcome and costs, and may be among the most preventable of the nosocomial infections
A primary bloodstream infection refers to a bacteremia or fungemia for which there is no documented source, and includes intravenous or arterial line infections

Summary

Introduction

In a previous issue of the Journal, we reviewed the relationship between hospital-acquired infection and patient safety [4]. A National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System summary in October 2004 reported CVC-associated BSI rates ranging from 2.7/1000 to 7.4/1000 central-line-days in ICUs and 3.5/1000 to 9.1/1000 central-line-days in high-risk nurseries [14].

Results

Conclusion