Transmission risk of severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to healthcare personnel following unanticipated exposure to aerosol-generating procedures: Experience from epidemiologic investigations at an academic medical center.

Healthcare personnel (HCP) with unprotected exposures to aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) on patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at risk of infection with severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A retrospective review at an academic medical center demonstrated an infection rate of <1% among HCP involved in AGPs without a respirator and/or eye protection.

Characterizing the relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and assessing the impact of a nursing-focused CLABSI reduction intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on CLABSI rate and characterize the patients who developed a CLABSI. We also examined the impact of a CLABSI-reduction quality-improvement project in patients with and without COVID-19. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis. SETTING: Academic 889-bed tertiary-care teaching hospital in urban Los Angeles. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS: Inpatients 18 years and older with CLABSI as defined by the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). INTERVENTION(S): CLABSI rate and patient characteristics were analyzed for 2 cohorts during the pandemic era (March 2020-August 2021): COVID-19 CLABSI patients and non-COVID-19 CLABSI patients, based on diagnosis of COVID-19 during admission. Secondary analyses were non-COVID-19 CLABSI rate versus a historical control period (2019), ICU CLABSI rate in COVID-19 versus non-COVID-19 patients, and CLABSI rates before and after a quality- improvement initiative. RESULTS: The rate of COVID-19 CLABSI was significantly higher than non-COVID-19 CLABSI. We did not detect a difference between the non-COVID-19 CLABSI rate and the historical control. COVID-19 CLABSIs occurred predominantly in the ICU, and the ICU COVID-19 CLABSI rate was significantly higher than the ICU non-COVID-19 CLABSI rate. A hospital-wide quality-improvement initiative reduced the rate of non-COVID-19 CLABSI but not COVID-19 CLABSI. CONCLUSIONS: Patients hospitalized for COVID-19 have a significantly higher CLABSI rate, particularly in the ICU setting. Reasons for this increase are likely multifactorial, including both patient-specific and process-related issues. Focused quality-improvement efforts were effective in reducing CLABSI rates in non-COVID-19 patients but were less effective in COVID-19 patients.

A novel intervention: Implementation of a neutropenic infection-prevention bundle and audit tool in an oncology unit.

Infectious complications are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Specific infection control practices targeting this patient population are widely endorsed, but little guidance exists on how to implement and monitor compliance with these practices. At our institution, we increased compliance with infection control measures by using a bundled neutropenic precaution (NP) audit and feedback tool.

Introducing a nursing maintenance bundle for patients with pulmonary arterial catheters.

We undertook a quality improvement project to address challenges with pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) line maintenance in a setting of low-baseline central-line infection rates. We observed a subsequent reduction in Staphylococcal PAC line infections and a trend toward a reduction in overall PAC infection rates over 1 year.