The Use and Effectiveness of Bundles for Prevention of Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections in Neonates A Review of the Literature

Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are an important cause of increased morbidity, mortality, and costs in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients. In recent years, central line bundles have been developed and implemented as a means to reduce infection rates in intensive care units. The objective of this review was to describe central line bundles that are utilized in the neonatal population and evaluate the current evidence on the effectiveness of bundles for prevention of CLABSIs in the NICU. This review shows that care bundles have been successfully used in NICUs (as part of both single-site quality improvement initiatives and large multisite collaboratives) to decrease CLABSI rates. The individual components that comprise the bundle between individual studies varied, but all studies showed a significant reduction in CLABSI rates. The pre- and postintervention design employed by these studies does not allow for conclusions to be drawn as to what specific bundle components are most effective in reducing rates. Further research is needed both to examine the effectiveness of specific components or combinations of components in the bundle and to examine factors that are associated with implementation and adherence to bundles.