In our recent three-part series on Infections in the ICU, we focused on device-assisted infections.

Ask any critical care nurse and he or she will tell you about how rewarding and challenging the ICU environment can be.

While there are numerous devices used in conjunction with central venous catheters in the ICU to infuse medications and control the flow of fluids, none has held the promise, or created controversy, like the stopcock.

While there are numerous devices used in conjunction with central venous catheters in the ICU to infuse medications and control the flow of fluids, none has held the promise, or created controversy, like the stopcock.

Now in this final installment, we’d like to highlight another device-assisted infection: catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs).

In Part One of this series, we highlighted “Designing a Hospital to Better Fight Infection,” a Wall Street Journal article that profiled a Chicago hospital study designed to better understand the factors that influence bacterial population development in healthcare environments. The study is mapping “where hospital germs linger and what causes them to take root.”