CLABSI
A Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infection (CLABSI) is a device-associated HAI, resulting from a central line or umbilical catheter (if less than one year old). A CLABSI is reported if an infection based on established criteria occurs in a client that has had a central line or umbilical catheter in place at the time of, or within 48 hours before a laboratory confirmed bloodstream infection event occurs, and the bloodstream infection is not caused by an infection at another site in the body.
A central line is a catheter used for the administration of fluids, medications, intravenous nutrition, hemodynamic monitoring, and drawing blood that terminates into one of the great blood vessels, or near the heart. The central line also includes catheters used for infusions into the umbilical vein or artery in neonates. CLABSIs result in thousands of deaths each year and billions of dollars in added costs to the U.S. healthcare system, yet these infections are preventable.
Refer to the following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) document for more details related to CLABSI, such as criteria for CLABSI, settings, definition, location of attribution, and reporting instructions.
Only CLABSIs that are attributed to medical intensive care units, surgical intensive care units, medical surgical intensive care units, or pediatric intensive care units are required to be reported using CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) based on Alabama's HAI Rules and Regulations at this time. However, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare(CMS) currently also requires reporting of CLABSIs using NHSN that are attributed to any intensive care unit, which may extend monitoring requirements of many Alabama healthcare facilities. Refer to the following ADPH document:
Page last updated: May 13, 2021
