3 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Excelsior Medical has developed SwabCap™, a luer access valve disinfection cap. The SwabCap™ provides passive disinfection of valve top and threads without activating the luer access valve. This product promotes technique standardization and compliance in cleansing of the luer access valve prior to access. It acts as a physical barrier from touch and airborne contamination for up to 96 hours. This product has been endorsed and will be adopted for use at NorthShore University HealthSystem as a quality improvement initiative. This research study protocol is designed to confirm the anticipated benefit of this change in practice at NorthShore during the planned implementation and use. If the product performs as it has been designed to, the baseline rate of hub and subsequently intraluminal contamination will be diminished, thereby protecting patients with central lines from bloodstream infections due to contaminated hubs.
This study is being implemented to identify the role of prophylactic use of ethanol lock in adult patients on home parenteral nutrition (HPN). Central catheter related blood stream infection is a major complication in patients on HPN. The investigators hypothesize that the prophylactic use of ELT will decrease the number of catheter related blood stream infections compared to the control group. The investigators further hypothesize that with the introduction of prophylactic ELT, the number of infections will decrease.
The investigators previously successfully implemented a central venous catheter (CVC) simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) curriculum at Northwestern University. As a result, trainee skill improved, complications, including central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) decreased and the curriculum was proven cost-effective. Therefore the Veterans Administration Medical Centers (VAMC) decided to implement this training at some of their sites as a quality improvement project. The investigators will train faculty at these locations to implement the same curriculum at their individual sites. Outcome data will be collected to evaluate the outcomes of the quality improvement (QI) project (complications, infections, skills).