Central Catheter Associated Infections: A Case Study

Getting an infection from improper care during or after insertion of a central line is the last thing you want to get while in the hospital. This paper will discuss Kaiser Permanente’s policy on central venous catheter, also known as a central line, care and dressing change, and whether it follows the current evidence-based practice on preventing bloodstream infection in patients who have them inserted. I will explain about what a central line is, why evidence-based practice is important in the clinical setting, what Kaiser Permanente’s policy about central line care and dressing change is, if Kaiser is currently following evidence-based practice based on current articles about preventing central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), and what my role in using evidence-based practice is as a future registered nurse.

-A task force was created to address the increase number of central line associated bloodstream infections at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center from 1/12 to 12/12. However the study ended 12/13 as a control of the task forces implemented strategies. There were 68 adult patients which had a rate of about 14.7 per 1000 central line days in an adult inpatient patient. Most infections were in the ICU.

Central lines are a common device used world wide in acute care settings for eligible patient populations such as those receiving chemotherapy, patients with poor venous access, or for those that require prolonged treatment of intravenous medications. Although central lines provide many advantages, they place patients at high risk for acquiring central line associated blood stream infections (CLABSI). CLABSI's are a serious complication associated with central lines and in some cases can be life threatening. There are many evidence based approaches that are used in acute care settings to reduce the incidence of CLABSI's such as meticulous skin care, daily bathing with chlorehexadine surgical scrub, and strict sterile technique when changing central line dressings. These prevention measures are a standard of care nationwide for patients with central lines since they are cost effective and evidence based. Unfortunately, even with proper implementation and compliance with these interventions, CLABSI's are still prevalent amongst vulnerable patient populations.

Article by Clancy (2009) explained central lines were a result of an estimated 250,000 blood stream infections and accounted for 30,000 to 62,000 patient deaths, then adding that each infection cost upwards of $36,000 and cumulatively add up to at least $9 billion in preventable costs annually. The article also explains how the mindset has changed from the cost of having a central line in place and expecting complications to lowering infection rates by an intentional interventional process/s. The article speaks of 5 basic steps to reduce CLABSI, hand washing, insertion techniques, skin cleansing, avoidance of certain sites and earlier removal of the CVC. Studies showed that these guidelines were only followed 62% of the time. The system was changed to ascertain that all the clinicians were in compliance. This prompted 5 interventions, education, a CVC insertion cart with all necessary equipment, physicians having to validate central line necessity, a concise checklist for bedside clinicians and the empower of nurses to stop procedures if guidelines were not followed. These low cost interventions from 11.3/1000 in catheter days in 1998 to zero in the fourth quarter of 2002.

exposed catheter is cleaned in a downward motion away from the insertion site without touching the mucus membranes, to reduce the risk of infection. These CHG Wipes were also utilized when a patient has a bowel movement. The outcomes reported by the article showed significant decrease in the amount of catheter associated UTI occurring on the unit. It is reported that in the first quarter of the trial, only four CAUTI incidents occurred on the unit, in the second quarter, only three CAUTI incidents were reported on the unit, and these were identified in patients who were transferred from another facility with Foley insertions. A revision was done to remove catheters past three weeks. By the 4th and last quarter, there were no CAUTI attributed to the unit (Carter et al, 2014).

Catheter related bloodstream infections are not only responsible for prolonged hospital stays and increased hospital costs, it is also responsible for increased mortality of the hospitalized patients. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017), an estimate of 30,100 central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) occur in intensive care units and wards of U.S. acute care facilities each year. CLABSI is a serious hospital-acquired infection that occurs when bacteria enters the bloodstream through central venous catheters. CLABSI is preventable as long as health-care personnel practice aseptic techniques when working with the catheter. A blood culture swabbed from the tip of the catheter is needed to confirm the

Also another serious complication of CAUTI is BSI (Blood stream infections) that can be fatal if not caught and treated promptly. “The Clinical Performance of Quality Health Care, along with Joint Commission” offers standards and objectives for facilities to assess measure and improve their standards at the lowest cost possible. The database covers nursing care and education, along with guidelines on prevention. Moreover the JCAHO regulatory standards for catheterized patients are explained and the documentation that is expected when JCAHO inspections are rendered in a facility. The source “Stop orders to reduce inappropriate urinary catheterization in hospitalized patients” states that by following standard precautions with every patient these infections can be prevented. . Also the source explored whether catheters should be used at all in an effort to decrease the incidence of CAUTI’s. Intermittent catheterizations along with supra-pubic were explored with a decreased incidence of bacteria being present in the bladder afterwards. The source “Strategies to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections in acute care hospitals” offered ways of cleansing and disinfecting the skin before insertion to reduce the risk of infection. Many CAUTI’s are linked to bacteria harboring in or around the site at insertion. By using not only aseptic technique but also cleansing the skin with chlorhexadine can decrease he incidence of infection

One of the main roles of the nurse is to ensure the best patient-centered care for each individual to achieve an optimal outcome. However, it is difficult to do this when nosocomial infections are an endless problem to this day all over the world. One problem that seems to have a significant impact in the health field is the reoccurring incidences of catheter associated urinary tract infections. Studies show that catheter urinary tract infections are recognized as the most frequent adverse event in the health care system, thus resulting in increased economic costs, mortality, and morbidity rates (Tillekeratne, 2014.) Although the incidences of nosocomial infections are slowly decreasing with time, there are still prevalent problems occurring

Elpern, E. (2016). Prevention of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections in Adults. Critical Care Nurse, 36(4), e9-e11. doi:10.4037/ccn2016208

Central line bundle is a group of evidence-based practice strategy for patient with central catheters, when implemented together, produce better outcomes than implemented individually (Institute of health care improvement, 2010.). The main elements of central line bundle are hand hygiene, maximal barrier precaution upon insertion, Chlorhexidine skin antisepsis, optimal catheter selection, and daily review of line necessity with prompt removal of unnecessary lines Aseptic technique when using and caring for a central line catheter can decrease the chance of contamination in this critically ill infants. Staff education on adherence to aseptic technique and strict central line care guidelines are essential to decreasing bloodstream infections.

In the healthcare, evidence-based guidelines are utilized to prevent complications that can be very significant to both the patient and the healthcare in general. Having worked in different health care settings including, home-health, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation hospitals, long-term acute care, and acute care, I have come across various healthcare associated infections (HAIs). For my project, I will focus on prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). I have seen the importance of central lines in management of patient care, be it in nutrition supplementation, hydration, or medication treatments in all the mentioned different settings. I have also encountered infected central lines and the risk they pose to the patients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CLABSIs result in thousands of deaths each year and billions of dollars in added costs to the U.S. healthcare system, yet these infections are preventable (CDC, 2010).

Urinary tract infections are one of the most hospital-acquired infections in the country. With so much technology and evidence based practice, why is this still an ongoing problem worldwide? Could it simply be the basics of hygiene or just patient negligence? The purpose of this paper is to identify multiple studies that have been done to reduce or prevent hospital associated urinary tract infections. In these articles you will find the use of different interventions that will aid in lowering the risk of these hospital acquired infections.

Nicolle, (2014), found that the Center for Disease Control in the United States shows that the Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection constitutes the most commonly acquired infections in US, (Saint, et al. 2016). An examination of an implemented CAUTI was conducted to establish a link between perceptions of risk by healthcare providers and the potential impact they have on patient care decisions, (Wahr, et at. 2013). The Michigan Health and Hospital Association Keystone Center of patient safety constituted the main patient schemes, (Pearson, Needleman, Beckman, & Han, 2016: Nicolle, et al. 2014). The study design comprised of 12 eligible hospitals was selected, of which 42 interviews were identified and the 3 hospitals

Nurses should also have patients demonstrate hand washing technique. Teaching patients about infusion therapy and how to avoid the risk of intravenous infection will help calm their fears and decrease their risks of obtaining an infection. Technology today can help by having patients either record a video of the steps on their smart phone or by writing the steps down. This can decrease patient’s anxiety and stress while increasing confidence. While this topic has been around for many years, both medical professionals and patients need to be educated and strict compliance needs to be followed in order to avoid intravenous and central line infections. Further research is needed in order to discover additional ways of decreasing intravenous and central line infections in the home

1) Summary of Article: Indwelling catheter use is common, but so are infections associated with them. About 80 percent of all urinary tract infections in hospitals are caused by catheters, and about 20 percent of all hospital infections total are UTIs. Evidence-based practice should be used for insertion, maintenance, and removal. Catheters should not be left in longer than they need to be. Unfortunately, this research shows poor administrative efforts are to blame for