As part of its 100,000 Lives Campaign, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) advocates the use of proven, lifesaving interventions, including a series of steps to reduce or prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia and catheter-related bloodstream infections.

When done in concert, these interdependent steps, also called "bundles," typically result in significantly better outcomes than when implemented individually.

The ventilator bundle is a series of interventions related to ventilator care that, when implemented together, will achieve significantly better outcomes than when implemented individually.

The key components of the ventilator bundle are:

• Elevation of the head of the bed
• Daily "sedation vacations" and assessment of readiness to extubate
• Peptic ulcer disease prophylaxis
• Deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis

The central line bundle is a group of evidence-based interventions for patients with intravascular central catheters that, when implemented together, results in better outcomes than when implemented individually.

The key components of the central line bundle are:

• Hand hygiene
• Maximal barrier precautions upon insertion
• Chlorhexidine skin antisepsis
• Optimal catheter site selection, with subclavian vein as the preferred site for non-tunneled catheters
• Daily review of line necessity with prompt removal of unnecessary lines