Achieving and Maintaining 'Zero' Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infection for over a Year in a Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI) rates were consistently above the international benchmark and contributing to patient morbidity and mortality in the medical-surgical intensive care unit (MSICU) of our tertiary-care hospital. To address this problem, a quality improvement initiative was launched by a CLABSI taskforce that included Nursing staff, MSICU Physicians and Hospital Infection Control Department (HICD).