Central-line-associated bloodstream infection : comprehensive, data-driven prevention Pennsylvania patient safety advisory Bacteremia -- prevention & control Catheter-Related Infections -- prevention & control Catheterization, Central Venous -- adverse effects Cross Infection -- prevention & control Evidence-Based Practice Infection Control -- methods Central venous catheters provide necessary vascular access; however, their use places patients at risk for infection. Central-line-associated bloodstream infection occurs when there are lapses in care in insertion and maintenance. It is essential that a comprehensive infection prevention program be data driven. During calendar year 2010, of Pennsylvania acute care facilities that had submitted central venous catheter insertion dates to the National Healthcare Safety Network, 71.7% reported that central-line-associated bloodstream infections occurred more than five days after insertion. Biofilm formation in the internal lumen and subsequent late onset of bacteremia (after five days) may signify failure in central line maintenance practices. Pennsylvania's data suggests that healthcare facilities need to focus greater attention on catheter maintenance, in addition to complying with best practices during insertion. [Harrisburg, Pa.] : Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, c2011 Davis, James Pennsylvania. Patient Safety Authority. ECRI (Organization) Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Technical Report Text Illustrations 1 online resource (1 PDF file (pages 100-104)) nlm:nlmuid-101570809-pdf 101570809 http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101570809 English Pennsylvania United States Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0