Bloodstream Infections

Disinfection Cap for Needleless IV Connectors Provides Reduction in Bloodstream Infections

Early results of a prospective, peer-reviewed clinical trial demonstrated SwabCap® improved disinfection and allowed for reduced central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates by more than 79 percent in a four-hospital system according to a scientific poster ...More
May 11, 2011
Posted in News
ICUs in Michigan Sustain Zero Bloodstream Infections for Up to Two Years

Intensive care units (ICUs) in both large and small hospitals stopped central line-associated bloodstream infections for up to two years after using a targeted quality improvement initiative funded in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The initiative, ...More
May 9, 2011
Posted in News
Peripheral Venous Catheters Pose Infection Risk

A new study from Rhode Island Hospital has found that more than one in 10 catheter-related bloodstream infections due to Staph aureus in hospitalized adults are caused by infected peripheral venous catheters (PVC). The study points out the substantial medical burden that ...More
May 3, 2011
Posted in News
Streptococci, E. coli Continue to Put Newborns at Risk for Sepsis

Bloodstream infections in newborns can lead to serious complications with substantial morbidity and mortality. What's more, the pathogens responsible for neonatal infections have changed over time. In recent years, however, antibiotic prophylaxis given to at-risk mothers ...More
April 25, 2011
Posted in News
CDC Issues Updated Bloodstream Infection Prevention Guidelines

New guidelines, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), outline steps to eliminate bloodstream infections in patients with intravenous catheters, which are among the most ...More
April 1, 2011
Posted in News
Remove Children's Catheters Timely to Prevent Bloodstream Infections

Hospitals can reduce the risk of life-threatening bloodstream infections in children with peripherally inserted central venous catheters by assessing daily the patient's progress and removing the device as early as possible, according to a new Johns Hopkins Children's ...More
March 31, 2011
Posted in News
Team Works to Save Lives, Reduce Costs by Identifying Leading Risk Factors for Sepsis

Sepsis, a life-threatening bacterial infection of the blood, is an unwanted and costly complication to patients and the healthcare system. New research at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has identified major elective surgeries in which sepsis occurs most often ...More
March 9, 2011
Posted in News
Stamping Out Sepsis: A Global Goal

In late 2010, a global group called out sepsis for what it is: a medical emergency beyond national boarders. The Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) — which represents about 250,000 intensive and critical care physicians around the world — is urging healthcare providers, patients ...More
February 15, 2011
Posted in Articles
Safety Checklist Use Yields 10 Percent Drop in Hospital Deaths

A Johns Hopkins-led safety checklist program that virtually eliminated bloodstream infections in hospital intensive-care units throughout Michigan appears to have also reduced deaths by 10 percent, a new study suggests. Although prior research showed a major reduction in ...More
January 31, 2011
Posted in News
APIC Leads Effort to Eliminate Bloodstream Infections

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) today announced a major initiative to eliminate one of the most preventable and deadly infections that patients can acquire in healthcare facilities: central line-associated bloodstream ...More
January 25, 2011
Posted in News