• Michael A Sweet, Aaron Cumpston, Frank Briggs, Michael Craig, and Mehdi Hamadani.
• Center for Quality Outcomes, West Virginia University Hospitals, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA. sweetm@wvuhealthcare.com
• Am J Infect Control. 2012 Dec 1; 40 (10): 931-4.

BackgroundA major risk factor for the development of bloodstream infection is the presence of a central venous catheter (CVC), especially in immunocompromised patients. CVC hub contamination is a risk factor for central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI).MethodsThis observational before-after trial in a tertiary care hospital's oncology unit included adult patients with a CVC. During the intervention period, the practice of central line hub care was changed from cleaning with alcohol wipes to using alcohol-impregnated port protectors. To accommodate the protectors, the needless hubs were changed to a neutral pressure connector. The intervention period (January-July 2010) was compared with a historical control (January-December 2009).ResultsA total of 3,005 central line-days and 1 CLABSI (a rate of 0.3 infections/1,000 central line-days) were documented during the intervention period, compared with 6,851 central line-days and 16 CLABSIs (2.3 infections/1,000 central line-days) during the control period (relative risk, 0.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02-1.07; P = .03). The rate of contaminated blood cultures (CBCs) from central lines was 2.5% (17 of 692) during the control period, but only 0.2% (1 of 470) during the intervention period (relative risk, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.01-0.65; P = .002).ConclusionsThe implementation of alcohol-impregnated port protectors and needleless neutral pressure connectors significantly reduced the rates of CLABSIs and CBCs in our oncology patient population.Copyright © 2012 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

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