Background: Central lines (CL) are widely used in the inpatient setting and central-line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) is a serious complication of CL use. Because CL insertion site inflammation (ISI) may precede the onset of CLABSI, we aimed to define ISI, to determine whether ISI was associated with CLABSI, and to develop an automated surveillance system for ISI. Methods: We extracted electronic medical records (EMRs) of adult patients hospitalized at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics during January 2015–December 2018. Nurses routinely document CL insertion-site characteristics in specifically designed flow sheets in the EMR. An ISI was counted every time ≥1 of the following signs were documented during CL assessments: edema, erythema, induration, tenderness, or drainage. A 1:2 case-control investigation was performed by matching nonmucosal barrier injury (non-MBI) CLABSI patients (cases) to patients without a CLABSI diagnosis (controls). We matched for age (±10 years), sex, date (±30 days), inpatient unit, central-line days, and central-line type (temporary vs permanent). The main exposure of interest was having an ISI on or before CLABSI onset. CLABSIs were determined using CDC NHSN definitions. We then created a metric: ISI days (defined as the number of days with ≥1 ISI documented) and plotted ISI incidence (ISI days per central-line days) to quantify the burden of ISIs and to determine whether ISI and non-MBI CLABSI incidences were collinear. An automated surveillance system for ISI was created using structured query language queries to the EMR data repository and Tableau software. Results: During 2015–2018, we detected 194 CLABSI cases that were matched to 338 controls. CLABSI patients had greater odds of having an ISI (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.3–4.0). Over the study period, ISI incidence decreased from ~80 to ~50 ISI days per 1,000 CL days. Non-MBI CLABSI rates also decreased from ~1.5 to ~1.0 CLABSIs per 1,000 CL days. Conclusions: ISI incidence is associated with non-MBI CLABSI incidence. Because ISI incidence is higher than CLABSI incidence, surveillance for ISI could be a more sensitive indicator for monitoring the impact of CLABSI prevention practices. Automated surveillance for novel process metrics is a promising infection prevention tool.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None