ALL INTRAVASCULAR DEVICES CAN CAUSE BLOODSTREAM INFECTIONS, STUDY SAYS

All types of intravascular devices (IVDs) pose a risk of bloodstream infection to patients, according to a study published in the September issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, the Mayo Clinic said Sept. 22.

An IVD is any device that allows access to the bloodstream, typically a catheter. Up to 500,000 IVD-related bloodstream infections occur annually in the U.S., costing $4,000 to $56,000 per episode, the Mayo Clinic said. These are also considered to be the most preventable class of hospital-acquired infections, the clinic added.

Guidelines such as those published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee in 2002 need to be adapted more widely by healthcare providers to ensure safer IVD use, the study said.

To view the Mayo Clinic notice, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news2006-rst/3665.html?src=email-release (http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2006-rst/3665.html?src=email-release).