Central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs) are preventable, serious, and potentially fatal infections that affect thousands of hospitalized patients each year. Weiner et al. (2016) state approximately 20,686 infections were reported by healthcare facilities across the United States (US) in 2014. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ, 2014) estimates CLABSIs carry an 18% mortality rate, equivalent to 3,723.5 fatalities from the infection based on the 2014 hospital report.
Not only do CLABSIs have a high mortality rate, they are also linked to increased morbidity, healthcare costs, and hospital length of stays of 2 to 5 days (Kamboj et al., 2015; Patel et al., 2016; Ramirez, Lee, & Welch, 2012). Marschall et al. (2014) reports each CLABSI cost between $3,700 and $39,000 per infection, not including complications that may arise as a result of the infection. Central line (CL) insertion and maintenance bundles have helped to decrease the number of CLABSIs, however further interventions are needed. The addition of alcohol disinfectant caps (ADCs) to current standard CL maintenance bundles is one intervention that will to help further reduce and possibly eliminate CLABSIs.
CLABSIs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2016b) considers a bloodstream infection a CLABSI when two components are present. First, the CL or umbilical catheter (UC) must be present for more than 2 calendar days from the laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection
Not only do CLABSIs have a high mortality rate, they are also linked to increased morbidity, healthcare costs, and hospital length of stays of 2 to 5 days (Kamboj et al., 2015; Patel et al., 2016; Ramirez, Lee, & Welch, 2012). Marschall et al. (2014) reports each CLABSI cost between $3,700 and $39,000 per infection, not including complications that may arise as a result of the infection. Central line (CL) insertion and maintenance bundles have helped to decrease the number of CLABSIs, however further interventions are needed. The addition of alcohol disinfectant caps (ADCs) to current standard CL maintenance bundles is one intervention that will to help further reduce and possibly eliminate CLABSIs.
CLABSIs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2016b) considers a bloodstream infection a CLABSI when two components are present. First, the CL or umbilical catheter (UC) must be present for more than 2 calendar days from the laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection