Creation of a Reference Standard for Determination of Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection Rates (CLABSI)

URC helped to monitor two types of health care-associated infections that often lead to significant morbidity and mortality: central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The project provided support to identify the factors that lead to CLABSI: infections acquired through an infusion into a major blood vessel or a vein near the heart. URC also assisted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine whether a distinction should be made between pneumonia and VAP in order to more clearly isolate the factors that lead to the ventilator-associated infection.