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Chlorhexidine cleansing to reduce Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections in the Cardiac Care Unit
Dissertation   Open access

Chlorhexidine cleansing to reduce Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections in the Cardiac Care Unit

Deena T. Conti
Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), Drexel University
29 May 2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001987
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Abstract

Catheter associated urinary tract infections Urinary tract infection prevention Chlorhexidine Bathing
Background: Patients acquire 600,000 Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) per year, resulting in approximately 13,000 deaths. The cost of a CAUTI is typically $600 per patient and can increase to approximately $2800 per patient if a patient's condition worsens. Objective: Critically ill patients are at an increased risk of acquiring CAUTIs and have an increased urinary catheter dwell time, the single largest risk factor for CAUTI. A literature search was performed to examine if a chlorhexidine bathing intervention will impact CAUTIs rates. This search yielded greater than 80 studies. 14 articles met criteria for review after further examination of the yield. Conclusions: The retained articles exposed that implementation of CAUTI bundles impact CAUTI rates. Implementation of education, nurse-led bundles and auditing practices led to a statistically significant decrease in CAUTI rates and other outcome measures in a variety of settings and samples. Evidence suggests that implementing Chlorhexidine gluconate bathing reduces hospital acquired infections. A focused intervention exploring the benefits of focused chlorhexidine bathing is necessary to address the persistent elevated CAUTI rates in the Cardiac Care unit.

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