Monday, March 7, 2011

CDC study shows decreasing CLABSIs in hospitals

Some encouraging news came out of the CDC last week on CLABSI rates.  The CDC calculated the total central line days in the U.S. in 2001 and 2009 and estimated the total number of CLABSIs that occurred during the same time period.  The results showed a 58% CLABSI rate reduction from 2001 to 2009.  This reduction represents 25,000 fewer incidences of CLABSIs in 2009 than in 2001, and translates into 3,000-6,000 lives saved and $414 million of excess healthcare costs.  The reduction in CLABSIs was greatest for Staphylococcus aureus CLABSIs which showed a 73% reduction.   
 
The CDC credits this significant drop in CLABSI rates to collaborative efforts among federal, state, and regional agencies and cited a couple notable examples in the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative (http://www.prhi.org/) and the Michigan Keystone Project (http://www.mhakeystonecenter.org/).  Both initiatives involve a combination of regional mandate on CLABSI reporting and broad dissemination of prevention education and best practices.  

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