Catheter-Associated Bloodstream Infections

Universal Surveillance for MRSA Significantly Decreased HAIs at Pitt County Memorial Hospital

Pitt County Memorial Hospital (PCMH) today announced results of a study demonstrating that universal surveillance for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) decreased health care-associated infections (HAIs) related to devices. ...More
July 13, 2010
Posted in News
Clinical Surveillance System Documents Interventions to Help Reduce Catheter-Related Infections

Hospira, Inc. today announced a study showing how the TheraDoc™ clinical surveillance system has helped clinicians at Memorial Hospital Miramar reduce catheter-related infections, which correlated with an increase in infection control interventions. ...More
July 13, 2010
Posted in News
Facility Recognized for Efforts to Reduce CAUTIs

The Stern Family Center for Extended Care and Rehabilitation (CECR) of North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. was recently recognized by the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) for its efforts in significantly reducing catheter-associated urinary ...More
June 24, 2010
Posted in News
Catheter-Related Infection Prevention: A Review of the Basics

Catheters, both central venous and urinary, are medical devices that save lives, but they also can contribute to significant patient morbidity and mortality if the proper techniques for insertion, maintenance and removal are not followed. We review the basics of ...More
March 17, 2010
Posted in Articles
Many Hospitals Fail to Reduce Infection Rates Despite Checklists

Far too many hospitals fail to lower the rate of deadly central-line bloodstream infections despite the availability of a simple life-saving checklist proven to prevent hospital-acquired infections, says a new investigative article in the March issue of Consumer Reports. ...More
February 2, 2010
Posted in News
In the Aftermath of 2008 CMS Rule, Hospitals Seek to Prevent Infections, Retain Reimbursement

It has been about 14 months since a new directive from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) went into effect Oct. 1, 2008, essentially declaring that Medicare will no longer reimburse hospitals for extra costs related to certain infections acquired during a ...More
December 18, 2009
Posted in Articles
Sharklet Technologies Awarded Innovation Research Grant for Development of Urinary Catheter with Biofilm-Resistant Micro-Pattern

Sharklet Technologies, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded a $168,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to develop a urinary catheter with ...More
November 16, 2009
Posted in News, Disinfection & Sterilization
HHS Awards $17 Million in New Initiative to Fight HAIs

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the award of $17 million to fund projects to fight costly and dangerous healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). "When patients go to the hospital, they expect to get better, not worse," Sebelius said. "Eliminating infections is ...More
October 26, 2009
Posted in News
Experts Offer Solutions to CAUTIs

It's a statistic that almost every healthcare facility knows: 40 percent of all healthcare-acquired infections are urinary tract infections (UTI). Since catheters -- the most common source of these infections -- are used on over four million hospital patients a year, the ...More
October 21, 2009
Posted in News
AVA Meeting Panel to Highlight New Standards for IV Catheter Disinfection

How to meet new infection control guidelines from the Joint Commission and those contained in the SHEA/IDSA Compendium will be the focus of a panel discussion at the upcoming annual meeting of the Association for Vascular Access (AVA). Discussing the new guidelines ...More
September 2, 2009
Posted in News, Disinfection & Sterilization