TUESDAY, March 1 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs) in intensive care units (ICUs) has decreased by more than half since 2001, but the infections continue to occur in substantial numbers in inpatient wards and outpatient hemodialysis centers, according to research published in the March 1 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Arjun Srinivasan, M.D., of the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues multiplied central-line utilization and CLABSI rates by the total number of patient-days in ICUs, inpatient wards, and outpatient hemodialysis facilities to estimate the number of CLABSIs in each setting.
In ICU patients, the number of CLABSIs fell dramatically from an estimated 43,000 in 2001 to 18,000 in 2009. The researchers note that reductions in CLABSIs due to Staphylococcus aureus were more pronounced than declines in infections caused by gram-negative rods, Candida spp., and Enterococcus spp. Numbers for inpatient wards in 2009 and outpatient hemodialysis in 2008 remained fairly high, at 23,000 and 37,000, respectively. According to the report, the reduction in CLABSIs in ICUs represents as many as 6,000 lives saved and $414 million in potential excess health care costs in 2009 as well as approximately $1.8 billion in cumulative excess health care costs since 2001.
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Friday, March 11, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Cheaper peritoneal dialysis as safe as hemodialysis, research says
By Mary Ann Roser | Thursday, March 3, 2011, 02:33 PM
New research says that less costly peritoneal dialysis causes no more infections than hemodialysis and is much easier on the body.
The study, done by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, found no increased risk of catheter infections and greater flexibility for patients on peritoneal dialysis.
Peritoneal dialysis involves inserting a catheter, or tube, into the abdomen to sweep away wastes produced by the kidneys. It can be done at home, while the person sleeps. In hemodialysis, which is done at a dialysis center, the waste products are filtered from the blood and the cleansed blood is returned to the body. The catheter is placed in the person’s arm.
“Patients actually survive better on peritoneal dialysis, have a better quality of life and the procedure is cheaper,” Dr. Ramesh Saxena, at right, an associate professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern and a senior author of the study, said in a news release on the school’s website. “Factors such as obesity, age and previous abdominal surgeries should not be considered as barriers in selecting patients for peritoneal dialysis.”
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New research says that less costly peritoneal dialysis causes no more infections than hemodialysis and is much easier on the body.
The study, done by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, found no increased risk of catheter infections and greater flexibility for patients on peritoneal dialysis.
Peritoneal dialysis involves inserting a catheter, or tube, into the abdomen to sweep away wastes produced by the kidneys. It can be done at home, while the person sleeps. In hemodialysis, which is done at a dialysis center, the waste products are filtered from the blood and the cleansed blood is returned to the body. The catheter is placed in the person’s arm.
“Patients actually survive better on peritoneal dialysis, have a better quality of life and the procedure is cheaper,” Dr. Ramesh Saxena, at right, an associate professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern and a senior author of the study, said in a news release on the school’s website. “Factors such as obesity, age and previous abdominal surgeries should not be considered as barriers in selecting patients for peritoneal dialysis.”
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