Skin Cleansing With Chlorhexidine to Decrease Hospital Acquired Infections

Summary

Patients in the intensive care unit are at risk for many infections because the severity of illness and the procedures necessary to care for them. This study is designed to look at a change in bathing procedure as a method to reduce infections. Currently, patients at John H. Stroger Hospital are cleansed with soap and water. However, preliminary data from a previous study at Rush University Medical Center showed that a chlorhexidine (CHG)-impregnated cloth (2% CHG Antiseptic Cloth system, Sage Products, Inc.) decreased skin bacteria and may lessen bacteria in the blood stream. The 2% CHG Antiseptic Cloth system is a non-irritating, no-rinse, cleansing and moisturizing product that contains 2% chlorhexidine gluconate. The goal of this proposed study is to further evaluate the effectiveness of the 2% CHG Antiseptic Cloth system compared with soap and water in cleansing the skin and preventing bacteria from entering the bloodstream.

Timeline

Start

2005-06

Primary completion

2006-06

Completion

2006-07-26

Outcome

Mixed primary results

paper Patients in the CHG intervention arm were significantly less likely to acquire a primary BSI (4.1 vs 10.4 infections per 1000 patient days; PMID 17954801 ↗

paper The incidences of other infections, including clinical sepsis, were similar between the units. PMID 17954801 ↗

Publications

• Background Appelgren P, Hellstrom I, Weitzberg E, Soderlund V, Bindslev L, Ransjo U. Risk factors for nosocomial intensive care infection: a long-term prospective analysis. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2001 Jul;45(6):710-9. doi: 10.1034/j.1399-6576.2001.045006710.x.
• Background Beezhold DW, Slaughter S, Hayden MK, Matushek M, Nathan C, Trenholme GM, Weinstein RA. Skin colonization with vancomycin-resistant enterococci among hospitalized patients with bacteremia. Clin Infect Dis. 1997 Apr;24(4):704-6. doi: 10.1093/clind/24.4.704.
• Background Cohen J, Cristofaro P, Carlet J, Opal S. New method of classifying infections in critically ill patients. Crit Care Med. 2004 Jul;32(7):1510-26. doi: 10.1097/01.ccm.0000129973.13104.2d.
• Background Mermel LA, Farr BM, Sherertz RJ, Raad II, O'Grady N, Harris JS, Craven DE; Infectious Diseases Society of America; American College of Critical Care Medicine; Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Guidelines for the management of intravascular catheter-related infections. Clin Infect Dis. 2001 May 1;32(9):1249-72. doi: 10.1086/320001. Epub 2001 Apr 3. No abstract available.
• Background O'grady NP, Alexander M, Dellinger EP, Gerberding JL, Heard SO, Maki DG, Masur H, McCormick RD, Mermel LA, Pearson ML, Raad II, Randolph A, Weinstein RA; Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. Guidelines for the prevention of intravascular catheter-related infections. Am J Infect Control. 2002 Dec;30(8):476-89. doi: 10.1067/mic.2002.129427.
• Background Shorr AF, Humphreys CW, Helman DL. New choices for central venous catheters: potential financial implications. Chest. 2003 Jul;124(1):275-84.
• Bleasdale SC, Trick WE, Gonzalez IM, Lyles RD, Hayden MK, Weinstein RA. Effectiveness of chlorhexidine bathing to reduce catheter-associated bloodstream infections in medical intensive care unit patients. Arch Intern Med. 2007 Oct 22;167(19):2073-9. doi: 10.1001/archinte.167.19.2073.

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Indications