Central Line Infections (CLI) - Safety Measurement
Patients in the hospital often require intravenous catheters for medications or fluid. Intravenous catheters are also referred to as central line catheters.
Some medications can only be given intravenously and some patients are unable to take in enough fluid by mouth. When the need for intravenous medication or fluid is either substantial or prolonged, larger intravenous catheters are used that are inserted through the skin like smaller catheters but are longer and are inserted farther into larger veins that can handle the volume safely and do not need replacement as often.
Intravenous Catheter Care
Although central line catheters are valuable for patient care, they can occasionally become infected and introduce bacteria into the bloodstream. This may only require removal of the catheter and antibiotic treatment but could lead to further complications.
Central line infections should be avoidable. No hospital can guarantee that their patients will never get a central line infection but good hospitals have very effective programs in place to minimize or even virtually eliminate this complication.
Effective programs involve a series of practices and procedures, consistently applied, that can reduce or eliminate the risk. These programs also include appropriate patient selection so that these larger or central catheters are only used when necessary.
CLI Performance Report of Danbury Hospital
We measure our rate of central line infections and report that rate compared to national best practice. We have not had a central line infection at Danbury Hospital for over two years.