Infection control and hospital epidemiology : the official journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Jul 2003
Reducing central venous catheter-associated primary bloodstream infections in intensive care units is possible: data from the German nosocomial infection surveillance system.
The German Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System (KISS) began in 1997 as a nationwide surveillance project for voluntary registration of nosocomial infections in intensive care units (ICUs). This study investigates trends in the rates of central venous catheter (CVC)-associated primary bloodstream infections (BSIs) in ICUs since participation in KISS. ⋯ Performing surveillance with KISS was associated with a reduction of the rates of CVC-associated primary BSIs in ICU patients.