Consumer Reports Evaluates CLABSI Rates at Pediatric ICUs

Some U.S. pediatric intensive care units (ICUs) have rates of central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) that are 20% higher than the national average for adult ICUs, according to a January 2012 article detailing the results of an investigation conducted by Consumer Reports. The investigation focused on 92 pediatric ICUs in 31 states plus Washington, DC, that publicly reported enough data for Consumer Reports to make a statistically valid assessment of their rate of bloodstream infections. Data revealed that these pediatric ICUs averaged 1.8 bloodstream infections for every 1,000 days children were on central lines, compared with an estimated national average of 1.5 bloodstream infections per 1,000 central-line-days in adult ICUs in 2009.