Chlorhexidine bathing to reduce CLABSI in hematopoietic stem cell transplant and hematologic malignancy patients.

119 Background: At University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center (UHSCC), adult patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) and those undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) require a central venous catheter nearly 100% of the time. According to the National Health Safety Network (NSHN), for permanent and temporary line days, the pooled mean infection rate in 2009 was 3.5 and 4.1, respectively. Catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) lead to increased morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and cost. At UHSCC, the CLABSI rate for patients on the HM service from August 2010 through August 2011 was 8.0. Methods: It has been demonstrated that the use of Chlorhexidine (CHG) wipes has decreased the CLABSI rate in ICU and long term care patients. We were unable to identify literature evidence or medical centers currently using CHG bathing wipes in their cancer patients, specifically HSCT. A quality improvement project on the effectiveness of CHG bathing on the HSCT and HM populations commenced on April 2, 2012, at UHSCC. This study is also monitoring skin integrity to determine if there are adverse effects. Patient satisfaction is also being assessed. Results: Early results demonstrate a reduction in overall CLABSI rate to 4.3%, and no vancomycin resistant enterococcus (VRE) infections were observed since early April. Adverse effects on skin integrity have not been noted. An unanticipated obstacle is related to the “culture of bathing.” Specifically, caregivers and patients often do not understanding the importance of daily bathing as a key clinical intervention despite repeated education. The team continues to investigate this issue. Conclusions: CHG bathing appears to be an effective, well-tolerated, and minimally invasive intervention in preventing CLABSI in severely immunocompromised cancer patients. Unanticipated obstacles to implementing daily bathing have been encountered and are being addressed. During the course of this project, we also began tracking our CLABSI rate for the entire patient population on the HM HSCT nursing unit along with the service-based rate noted above.