NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens hasn't reported any central line-associated bloodstream infections among intensive care unit patients for three consecutive years, the New York City-based hospital said Dec. 7.
The hospital credits the success to a multilayered infection prevention approach. NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens has implemented new technologies to reduce its reliance on central lines, performs daily reviews of central line necessity and uses central line bundles of care, among other efforts.
Patients who develop CLABSIs are subject to longer hospital stays, high hospital costs and a higher risk of death, according to Jean Fleischman, MD, a pulmonary critical care attending physician who also serves as the hospital's associate director of medicine and deputy medical director for quality assurance and performance improvement.
"I am delighted that NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens has reached this milestone of being CLABSI-free for three full years, particularly during a period where we weathered the hardships accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic," Dr. Fleischman said in a news release.