To investigate evidence-based practices and examine rates of adherence to bundles on maintenance of central venous catheters among intensive care unit nurses in 22 selected hospitals.
Although there has been an overwhelming increase in the use of evidence-based practices to reduce Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections, also known as bundles, there continues to be a considerable gap between clinical practice and evidence.
This study employs a multi-center cross-sectional design.
Registered nurses who worked in the ICUs of 22 selected hospitals were included. Evidence-based procedures were developed based on Central Line Bundles, which include an 11-area and 35-item checklist. Rates of adherence to bundles were calculated and analysed after reaching 22,000 central line days in 22 units. The study was reported using the STROBE checklist.
The average adherence rate to evidence-based procedures for CVC maintenance among ICU nurses in the 22 units was 87.40%. The adherence rate of five areas of the evidence-based procedure based on the Central Line bundle was above 90%, including ‘Selection of regulated skin disinfectants’, ‘Tube sealing’, ‘Tube flushing’, ‘Dressing and catheter fixation’ and ‘Sterilized skin and catheter’. The three lowest-achieving areas of bundles were ‘Catheter and insertion site assessment,’ ‘Hand hygiene’ and ‘Sterilized catheter access hubs’. The lowest-achieving item of bundles is ‘Assess during multidisciplinary patient care rounds with signature confirmation’. The adherence rates in hospitals where CLABSI occurred were all less than 90%.
ICU nurses' adherence to maintenance bundles for CVC is moderate, implying that boosting adherence rates is critical for improved results. As a result, comparable studies should be done in ICUs where the bundle has been deployed to assess and improve adherence rates through effective interventions. To minimise CLABSI in future practice, novel strategies must be developed and implemented via continued education and regular evaluation.
We registered the trial with the US Clinical Trials Registry (ID: NCT06085690, Name: Multicenter Clinical Translational Study of ‘ICU-NO CRBSI’ Based on Improvement Science, https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT06085690)
Nurse administrators and policymakers can develop strategies and interventions for improving the quality of CVC care toward evidence-based practice. Minimising the gaps between evidence and practice will reduce the incidence of CLABSI to enhance the survival of critically ill patients.
In addressing the status of evidence-based practices among ICU nurses, this study enhances healthcare quality and outcomes.
There was no patient or public contribution.
Echocardiographic guidance in left atrial appendage (LAA) closure procedures is increasingly recognized for its potential to enhance patient outcomes in atrial fibrillation (AF). This retrospective study assesses its impact on hospital stay duration, readmission rates and surgical site wound complications in 200 AF patients. Divided equally into an echocardiographically guided group (Group E) and a non-guided group (Group N), the analysis focused on detailed patient data encompassing hospital stay, 30-day readmission and wound complications. Findings revealed that Group E experienced a significantly shorter average hospital stay of 3.5 days, compared with 6.5 days in Group N, along with a lower 30-day readmission rate (5% vs. 18% in Group N). Furthermore, Group E showed a considerable reduction in surgical site wound complications, such as infections and hematomas. The study concludes that echocardiographic guidance in LAA closure procedures markedly improves postoperative wound outcomes, underscoring its potential as a standard practice in cardiac surgeries for AF patients. This approach not only optimizes patient safety and postoperative recovery but also enhances healthcare resource utilization.
A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy (TSV) over 20 G vitrectomy on wound healing, as well as the requirements for closing the wound in order to treat vitreoretinal diseases. Among the 500 cases who had been treated with vitrectomy to September 2023, 250 were treated by transconjunctiva without vitrectomy and 250 were treated with 20 G vitrectomy. The odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) of 95% confidence interval (CI) were computed to evaluate the influence of wound opening and closing on vitrectomy diseases. The evaluation of vitreoretinal diseases was performed with either a random-or fixed-effect model, which involved TSV compared to 20 G vitrectomy. Compared to 20 G vitrectomy, the opening time of the wound in TSV was less (MD, −2.03; 95% CI, −2.87, −1.19; p < 0.0001); Compared to 20 G vitrectomy, the closing time of the wound was less (MD, −4.84; 95% CI, −6.38, −3.03; p < 0.0001); Nevertheless, there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of vitreous haemorrhage after TSV surgery compared with 20 G vitrectomy (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.25, 2.18; p = 0.59). TSV vitrectomy can shorten the duration of the operation and speed up the healing of the wound. It is suggested that additional studies be carried out with a larger sample size in order to verify this conclusion.
Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), a common intractable chronic complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), has a prevalence of up to 25%, with more than 17% of the affected patients at risk of amputation or even death. Vascular risk factors, including vascular stenosis or occlusion, dyslipidemia, impaired neurosensory and motor function, and skin infection caused by trauma, all increase the risk of DFU in patients with diabetes. Therefore, diabetic foot is not a single pathogenesis. Preclinical studies have contributed greatly to the pathogenesis determination and efficacy evaluation of DFU. Many therapeutic tools are currently being investigated using DFU animal models for effective clinical translation. However, preclinical animal models that completely mimic the pathogenesis of DFU remain unexplored. Therefore, in this review, the preparation methods and evaluation criteria of DFU animal models with three major pathological mechanisms: neuropathy, angiopathy and DFU infection were discussed in detail. And the advantages and disadvantages of various DFU animal models for clinical sign simulation. Furthermore, the current status of vitro models of DFU and some preclinical studies have been transformed into clinical treatment programs, such as medical dressings, growth factor therapy, 3D bioprinting and pre-vascularization, Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment. However, because of the complexity of the pathological mechanism of DFU, the clinical transformation of DFU model still faces many challenges. We need to further optimize the existing preclinical studies of DFU to provide an effective animal platform for the future study of pathophysiology and clinical treatment of DFU.