New CDC guidelines to reduce risk of catheter-associated infections in the U.S.

The CDC has announced new guidelines to reduce the risk of catheter-associated infections in the United States. The guidelines now designate treatment with chlorhexidine gluconate-impregnated sponge as a category 1B recommendation exclusively based on evidence related to BIOPATCH® Protective Disk with CHG.

In the United States, approximately 250,000 central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are estimated to occur each year. CLABSIs are associated with high mortality rates (12-25%), and extended hospital stays, requiring patients to spend an estimated 9-12 additional days in a hospital. According to the CDC, the cost of treating a single episode of CLABSI can range from $34,508 - $56,000. The average cost of the BIOPATCH® Protective Disk with CHG product is approximately $6.

The new CDC guidelines indicate that patients should be treated with "a chlorhexidine-impregnated sponge dressing for temporary short-term catheters in patients older than 2 months of age, if the CLABSI rate is not decreasing despite adherence to basic prevention measures, including education and training, appropriate use of chlorhexidine for skin antisepsis, and MSB [maximal sterile barrier precautions]. Category IB." Guidelines also specify "no recommendation is made for other types of chlorhexidine dressings (Unresolved Issue)."

BIOPATCH® is the only CHG-impregnated sponge dressing clinically proven to reduce CLABSIs and the only CHG-impregnated product with an FDA-cleared indication for this use. It has been shown to reduce the risk of catheter related bloodstream infections in controlled, randomized clinical trials involving more than 4,000 patients.

"Our skin provides very effective protection against infection, but when the skin barrier is broken and a catheter is inserted into vascular tissue, the risk of bacteria migrating down the catheter itself or the catheter tract into the bloodstream increases significantly. BIOPATCH® has a unique proprietary design that allows for 360-degree contact with the skin and continuous delivery of CHG around the site of catheter insertion," said William Jarvis, MD, former acting director of the CDC's Hospital Infections Program and the former assistant chief of the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System.