One year infection-free: Congrats to the PCTU!

One of the most common hospital acquired infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) lead to thousands of illnesses and deaths. They happen when the catheter tube (central line) used to give patients medicines and fluids or collect blood samples, lets germs into the bloodstream.

The Pediatric Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (PCTU) at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital is the latest UMHS team to go more than a year without a central line infection.

The 30-bed unit provides intensive observation and specialized nursing care for critically ill patients with congenital or acquired heart disease as part of the U-M Congenital Heart Center. Treating patients of all ages, including those who are young and very ill, makes infection prevention efforts all the more important. PCTU is the third UMHS team this year that’s gone 365 days without an infection.

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PCTU staff were awarded by Jeff Desmond, M.D., interim chief medical officer, and Marge Calarco, Ph.D., RN, senior associate director and chief of nursing services Wednesday

“We are so proud to see another team truly exemplifying our commitment to patient safety,” says Calarco.

“We’re honored to present the 365 Days of Safety Award to PCTU,” adds Dr. Desmond. “This unit is setting an example for us all on best practices and infection prevention methods.”

How they did it:

PCTU staff were awarded by Jeff Desmond, M.D., interim chief medical officer, and Marge Calarco, Ph.D., RN, senior associate director and chief of nursing services Wednesday.

The equipment used in the PCTU helps sustain life but can also increase the risk of infection. As a result, staff in the area work hard to prevent infections and have consistently achieved low infection rates compared to national benchmarks.

“The exceptional work to reduce infections has only occurred through the diligent, collaborative, engaged and focused efforts of the entire PCTU team,” explains PCTU Nurse Manager Colleen M. Rosenberg, MSN, RN, CNML.

Colleen says CLABSI improvement efforts have been in place in the unit since 2008, but really took hold in 2012 when several of their nursing leaders came together after a Children’s Hospital Association meeting enthused and full of ideas. They developed a plan for staff education, outlined problem areas and goals, and established specific, evidence-based practices to teach their teams. They conducted education sessions and 1:1 learning sessions about new practices and served as bedside resources for their peers by role modeling and teaching best practices. Improvements were also reinforced through rewards and recognition events on the unit.

The PCTU team continues to conduct bedside line rounds and audits to reinforce best practices and to assure their efforts are continued.

“I would like to thank our PCTU nurses (including our pediatric critical care nurses), Intensive Care Unit techs, unit hosts, Cardiology and Surgery faculty, fellows, nurse practitioners, clerks, Environmental Services team, Clinical Engineering colleagues, Jackie White from Infection Prevention, Katie Nelson, our CLABSI provider lead, our clinician assistants, our Material Services and line cart team, and our Anesthesia partners,” Colleen says. “Under the superb leadership of our CLABSI Nurse Champions Christen Ikerd, Emily Miller, Lisa Beckman and Kim Kurzeja, and with the guidance and support of PCTU Educational Nurse Coordinator Connie Coast, we continue to commit ourselves to the goal of preventing harm in our vulnerable patients.”