Slide Presentation from the AHRQ 2007 Annual Conference

Interventions to prevent Blood Stream Infections: 5 Key "Best Practices"

• Remove Unnecessary Lines
• Wash Hands Prior to Procedure
• Use Maximal Barrier Precautions
• Clean Skin with Chlorhexidine
• Avoid Femoral Lines

Notes:

I want to highlight 5 strategies specifically because they are well supported by the evidence. Central lines should be discontinued when they are no longer needed. Strict compliance with hand washing is essential. we should use MBP during cl insertion, We should use chlor for skin preparation if the patient is not allergic, and if we have a choice, subclavian sites are preferred over IJ or femoral sites.

The benefit of removing central lines when they are no longer needed is self-explanatory . One point that I would ask you to consider though is whether you have a mechanism in place to assess the need for central access for your patients on a daily basis. If not, you need to develop one and I would be happy to share with you our approach. What about hand washing?