Background: Central venous catheters (CVCs) are used to provide necessary vascular access. Mechanical issues with the catheters, such as fractures, result in a break in the sterility of the line, increasing the patient’s risk for infection or other adverse events. During a 5-month period in 2018, 15 CVCs (involving 13 patients) were noted to have cracked hubs. Methods: An outbreak should be suspected when a number of adverse events occur above the expected rate. We used a standardized process, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) Basic Principles of an Outbreak Investigation, to conduct the epidemiological investigation of the outbreak.Results: All 15 CVCs required replacement, and 1 case of bacteremia was recorded. We suspect that the underlying cause was related to changes in the manufacturing process of hubs along with the product used to prepare the hubs prior to access (Table 1). Conclusions: Following an outbreak investigation process to investigate a noninfectious related outbreak can ensure that a thorough and comprehensive investigation is being completed. Early recognition of an outbreak is essential to recognition of the outbreak and the implementation of mitigation strategies. Inconsistent reporting of adverse events related to mechanical issues with the catheters may have contributed to a delay in recognition.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.