More On Infections from Pittsburgh Hospital

We earlier reported on the elimination of central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABs) in the Allegheny General Hospital cardiac care unit for more than one year. This achievement was the result of studying infections case-by-case in real time and then developing countermeasures leading to standardized procedures. (See Good News: How Hospitals Heal Themselves.)

The PRHI Executive Summary for Winter 2007 reports that Allegheny General Hospital’s emergency department has followed suit with similar results:

Between 2003 and 2005, a control group in the Emergency Department (ED) placed 709 central lines, of which 7 became infected and 18 reported complications. Average time for line placement: 41 min.

Between 205 and 2007, physicians in the ED placed 638 central lines with zero infections and five complications. Average time for line placement: 12 min.

These results were the product of 1) tracking years of data about patients moved from the ED to medical units and 2) training of every ED physician and nurse in a standardized way of inserting and maintaining central lines.