Syracuse, N.Y. -- The infection rate in Upstate University Hospital’s medical surgical intensive care unit, which had been one of the highest in the state in 2008, dropped to zero last year, according to a state Health Department report. The rate for central line associated blood stream infections in the unit that cares for critically ill patients had been 8.3...
Syracuse, N.Y. -- The infection rate in Upstate University Hospital’s medical surgical intensive care unit, which had been one of the highest in the state in 2008, dropped to zero last year, according to a state Health Department report.
The rate for central line associated blood stream infections in the unit that cares for critically ill patients had been 8.3 percent.
The dramatic decline reflects new infection prevention strategies Upstate adopted early last year.
“This has been an extensive effort and it has paid off,” said Dr. David Duggan, the hospital’s medical director.
The report issued Wednesday shows the decline at Upstate follows a statewide trend. The report said the rate of central line infections has dropped 18 percent among New York hospitals since 2007.
A central line is a tube or catheter placed in a patient’s vein, usually in the neck, chest, arm or groin. The line is used to draw blood, give fluids or medications. A blood stream infection can occur when bacteria or other germs travel down the central line and enter the blood.
Upstate implemented a checklist of steps required to safely place a central line and avoid infection, Duggan said. It also retrained staff members, began using ultrasound machines to help place catheters more accurately and has standardized all equipment and supplies related to central lines.
The hospital also bought a computer software program that issues daily reports on infections and their sources, he said.
The Health Department report lists 2009 hospital acquired infection rates by hospital for surgical site infections related to colon, cardiac bypass and hip replacement surgeries. It also lists central line infections in adult, pediatric and neonatal intensive care units.
Nearly all infection rates for Central New York hospitals were not statistically different from the state average.
The exceptions were Community General, which had a lower-than-average colon surgical site infection rate, and Crouse Hospital, which had a lower than average central line infection rate in its medical-surgical intensive care unit.
This is the second year the Health Department has reported hospital-specific infection rates. A law passed by the state Legislature in 2005 forced the Health Department to publicly disclose those numbers.
The report ... “shows that mandatory disclosure saves lives by making hospitals work harder to prevent infections,” said Betsy McCaughey, founder of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths and the state’s former lieutenant governor.
Her committee is urging the state to include Clostridium difficile, an infection commonly known as C.diff, in future reports and prevention programs. This type of infection is widespread in hospitals and the first line of defense against it is rigorous cleaning.