Volume 199 - Issue 11
Prevention of peripheral intravenous catheter-related bloodstream infections: the need for routine replacement
Authors: Rhonda L Stuart, M Lindsay Grayson and Paul D R Johnson
Med J Aust 2013; 199 (11): 751. || doi: 10.5694/mja13.11005
Published online: 16 December 2013
Published online: 16 December 2013
In reply: We thank Collignon and colleagues for their letter regarding our study on peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC)-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.1 We agree with their comments. Both their data and ours support the potential importance of establishing a national standard for the insertion and management of PIVCs in Australia. Such a standard needs
to address the basics of PIVC management: not inserting PIVCs unless required;2 ...
In reply: We thank Collignon and colleagues for their letter regarding our study on peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC)-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.1 We agree with their comments. Both their data and ours support the potential importance of establishing a national standard for the insertion and management of PIVCs in Australia. Such a standard needs to address the basics of PIVC management: not inserting PIVCs unless required;2 using an aseptic technique when inserting PIVCs (including the use of sterile gloves); immediate removal of PIVCs placed in emergency situations; and subsequent removal of all PIVCs after no longer than 72 hours. Adherence to such a national standard could then be regularly audited, in much the same way that hand hygiene is now audited across the country,3 allowing comparisons and feedback between hospitals. Such an initiative is necessary if we are to see rates of PIVC-associated S. aureus bacteraemia decrease.
Competing interests
No relevant disclosures.
References
- Stuart RL, Cameron DRM, Scott C, et al. Peripheral intravenous catheter-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia: more than 5 years of prospective data from two tertiary health services. Med J Aust 2013; 198: 551-553. CHDBHGDH
- Limm EI, Fang X, Dendle C, et al. Half of all peripheral intravenous lines in an Australian tertiary emergency department are unused: pain with no gain? Ann Emerg Med 2013; 62: 521-525. CBBFDHBF
- Hand Hygiene Australia. The National Hand Hygiene Initiative. http://www.hha.org.au (accessed Jul 2013).
Hospital-Admitted Injection-Related Infections Among Incarcerated People Who Inject Drugs in Australia: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Andrew Palmer, Matthew Carter, Jeremy Yeo, Cecilia Shim, Jason Connor, Jeremy Hayllar, Gerald Holtmann, Naomi Moy, Elliott G. Playford, Naomi Runnegar, Paul J. Clark
The Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine in Australia: An Additional Tool for Influenza Prevention
Cyra Patel, Alexis Pillsbury, Tran Nguyen, Xia Wang, Helen E. Quinn, Clayton K. Chiu, Allen C. Cheng, Katie L. Flanagan, Zhicheng Wang
Reflex Testing for Hepatitis D Infection: A Unique Opportunity to Reduce Hepatitis D-Related Chronic Liver Disease Deaths in Australia
Jessica Howell, Lauren Andersson, Miriam T. Levy, James O'Beirne, Leon Adams, Katharine Irvine, Avik Majumdar, Golo Ahlenstiel, Kathy Jackson, Krispin Hajkowicz, Joseph Doyle, Jane Davies, Sarah Cherian, Wayne Dimech, Alexander J. Thompson
Localised Herpes Simplex Following Midline Laparotomy
Jessica S. Bulluss, Paul Chee, Matthew J. Verheyden
West Nile virus Kunjin subtype in rural NSW
Emily Gibson, Megan Whitley, Peter Murray, Linda Hueston, Jane Bennett, Raguharan Kathiresu, David N Durrheim
Differentiated and simplified oral HIV pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) models hold the key to virtually eliminating HIV transmission in Australia by 2030
Tyson Arapali, Sarah Warzywoda, Anthony K J Smith, Curtis Chan, Timothy R Broady, Erin Sullivan, Catherine MacPhail, Mohamed A Hammoud, Alexander Dowell‐Day, Benjamin R Bavinton