Hospitals in the U.S. continue to make progress in the fight against central line-associated bloodstream infections and some surgical site infections, according to a report issued today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Catheter-associated urinary tract infections remained unchanged between 2010 and 2011.
"Reductions in some of the deadliest health care-associated infections are encouraging, especially when you consider the costs to both patients and the health care system," said CDC Director Tom Frieden , M.D., M.P.H. "This report also suggests that hospitals need to increase their efforts to track these infections and implement control strategies that we know work."
The report looked at data submitted to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), CDC's premiere infection tracking system, which receives data from more than 11,500 health care facilities across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The number of infections reported was compared with data from 2010, as well as with a national baseline.
Patrick Conway , chief medical officer of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said, "The significant decrease in central line and surgical site infections means that thousands of patients avoid prolonged hospitalizations and the risk of dying in the hospital. Providers, working with CDC and CMS, are fulfilling Medicare's quality measurement reporting requirements for hospital infections and demonstrating that, together, we can dramatically improve the safety and quality of care for patients."
CDC reported for 2011: