Central lines, also called central venous catheters, are necessary for many patients in intensive care units (ICUs) for both treatment and monitoring purposes. Patients who need central lines are often very sick, more vulnerable to infections, and remain in the hospital longer. Preventing central line infections is especially crucial for these patients. Beginning in 2008, HHC collected central line infection data from all of the adult ICUs in its 11 hospitals. Below is the data showing very steady improvement. Central Line Infection Rates - All ICUs Rates per 1000 CL DaysCentral line infections at all HHC hospital ICUs for 2013 were at 1.8 infections per 1,000 patient days, down from 7.6 in 2005. Of 27 adult ICUs, 22 were able to achieve five months or more without a single central line infection in 2013, compared with 14 of 27 in 2008, with 9 of the 27 having no central line infections for the entire year.
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