INTRODUCTION: HISTORY
(continued)

Approximately 5 million central lines are placed every year in the United States (3). Central Line Associated Bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates are reported between 2.4-5% in the United States (including PICC and short term CVCs) (4) and are significantly higher in countries who perform surveillance (5). CLABSIs are the single most important cause of healthcare – associated blood stream infections with an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 IVD-related BSIs occurring each year in the United States. (4). This single incident affects lives of patients and their families and can cost as much as $56,000, (4,6) in expenses that are no longer reimbursed in the United States. An increased awareness to infections associated with Central lines began in the mid-1990s which drove changes over the years and placed focused on infection prevention strategies.

Catheter-based technology, along with the Central Line Bundle (7) outlined by several authority organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), provides a comprehensive strategy, to eliminate central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) (8,9). This comprehensive approach has been proven to reduce the incidence of infections in several clinical studies (7,9). The practices are currently being applied to CVC insertions, and care and maintenance bundles are an emerging focus in the effort to reduce hospital acquired infections (HAIs).


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Vessel Health and Preservation™