Reducing Bloodstream Infections from Central Venous Catheters
Author Information
Author(s): Cherry Robert A, West Cheri E, Hamilton Maria C, Rafferty Colleen M, Hollenbeak Christopher S, Caputo Gregory M
Primary Institution: The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine
Hypothesis
The development, implementation, and enforcement of a resident oversight and credentialing policy for CVC placement may result in a decrease in the rate of CLABSI.
Conclusion
The new CVC resident oversight and credentialing policy significantly reduced the rate of CLABSI per 1,000 central line days and total central line days.
Supporting Evidence
- Median CLABSI rate decreased from 3.52 to 2.26.
- Number of CLABSI per month reduced from 16.0 to 10.0.
- Total central line days decreased from 4495 to 4193.
- No serious adverse events were reported.
Takeaway
This study shows that having residents supervised when placing central lines can help prevent infections.
Methodology
Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on CLABSI rates before and after policy implementation.
Potential Biases
Potential for bias due to non-blinded interventions and concurrent performance improvement projects.
Limitations
Baseline data for resident-driven CVC insertions is unknown, and there may be a Hawthorne effect influencing results.
Participant Demographics
Patients undergoing non-tunneled CVC placement in adult and pediatric ICUs.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.015
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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