Central-Line Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI)

Central-Line Associated Bloodstream Infections

Background

A central line is a tube that is placed in a large vein to give fluids, blood, or medications, or to do certain medical tests quickly. When germs enter the bloodstream, through a central line, it can cause a serious infection called a central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI).  

Certain factors can place patients at higher risk for developing a CLABSI. Some of these factors are how long the central line has been in place, the type of central line, and the patient’s underlying medical conditions (Buetti et al, 2022).  

Following recommended infection prevention practices before and after a central line is placed can help reduce the risk of CLABSI.  


 

 

 

Educational Resources

VDH Infection Prevention and Control Assessments: The HAI/AR team is available to conduct a no-cost, non-regulatory, onsite visit to help a facility identify its infection prevention strengths and areas of opportunity.

Agency for Healthcare Quality Promotion 

Virginia Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Group

VCU Virginia Infection Prevention Training Center

World Health Organization 

 

 

 

Setting-Specific Resources

Central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) resources specific to hospital settings:

Central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) resources specific to long-term care settings:

Nursing Homes/Skilled Nursing Facilities

View Long-Term Care Homepage

 

 

 

Patient Resources

 

 

 

Data & Reporting

Data & Impact

  • CMS Care Compare – a searchable database of Medicare-certified facilities including hospitals and long-term acute care hospitals. Allows users to compare facilities on a variety of quality measures including CLABSI and other facility characteristics. 

National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)

  • Resources related to reporting CLABSI data to NHSN are available on the CDC website, including protocols, data collection forms, and analysis resources.  
  • Acute care hospital and long-term acute care hospital CLABSIdata can be accessed on the VDH HAI/AR Program Data website.  

Virginia Communicable Disease & Outbreak Reporting Requirements

State regulatory code aligns Virginia’s healthcare-associated infection reporting requirements with those required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Acute care hospitals and long-term acute care hospitals report CLABSI events to VDH via CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).  

Last Updated: October 16, 2024