Incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infection in the intensive care unit: A prospective observational study

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in the medical and surgical intensive care units (ICUs) of a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty patients admitted to medical and surgical ICU with an indwelling, nontunneled central venous catheter (CVC) inserted at admission in the department of emergency medicine or at medical and surgical ICU for more than 48 h were monitored. The patients were followed up daily for the development of new-onset sepsis after 48 h of insertion of CVC, by analyzing the culture of two sets of blood samples, over a span of 24 h. The data were evaluated statistically using Microsoft Excel version 11 and SPSS version 17 (IBM, USA). Results: Among 120 patients hospitalized for an aggregate of 972 days, 7 patients had acquired CLABSI with an incidence rate of 7.2/1000 central line days. The organisms isolated were Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Conclusion: The incidence rate of CLABSI in this study was in line with other studies on the CLABSI rate in India. The study found a significant association of CLABSI with duration of CVC catheterization, underlying comorbid conditions and diseases of patients, and indication of CVC insertion. However, there was no significant association of CLABSI with age of patients, their gender, and site of insertion.