Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Zero Central Line Infections

For six months, Brandywine Hospital has not had one central line-associated bloodstream infection. Thanks to interventions learned during its participation with the Health Engagement Network, the team at Brandywine eliminated CLASBIs and is able to maintain that zero rate.

Bonnie Byerly, nurse director of the ICU, has been the project lead for this initiative. Her team has been working with the critical care service line—a group of physicians, nurses and staff. Ms. Byerly says that maintaining the zero infection rate has been a challenge in light of the implementation of new electronic medical records, but the success of maintaining the zero rate is due to:

• Daily review of all newly admitted patients and their needs
• Use of the central-line insertion bundle
• Daily review of all patients with central lines—the continued need for the line and whether the line is properly maintained
• Monthly meetings with the critical care service line group to review all hospital acquired infections, especially CLASBIs, and drill down to the cause of the infection
• Use of more intensivists in the critical care unit

This case study was created by the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvannia.