Extract:
“Central-line catheters are often required to effectively treat patients at long-term acute-care hospitals (LTACHs), where patients frequently present for long-term antibiotics or chemotherapy treatments. These patients may also require multiple blood draws and administration or monitoring of fluids, and all of these treatments and procedures can require central lines. One of the risks of inserting and maintaining a central line is the development of a bloodstream infection. Central-line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are preventable and potentially deadly infections that have significant consequences including increased mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and increased healthcare costs. The purpose of this quality improvement project report is to describe the process we implemented that achieved our goal of zero CLABSI events at our LTACH from June through December 2020.”
Reference:Adawee MO, Ellsworth LJ, Beckholt KA, Gross TM, Samsel MB. Steps toward zero central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in a long-term acute-care hospital: Multidisciplinary teamwork, a prevention bundle, education, and audits. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2022 Mar 14:1-2. doi: 10.1017/ice.2021.473. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35282841.