Efficacy of alcohol-impregnated port protectors on central line-associated bloodstream infections in intensive care units

This research project focused on assessing the effectiveness of alcohol-impregnated port protectors (A-IPP) in reducing infection rate among the patients having central venous catheters in selected intensive care units. Infection rate data was obtained from the department of Infection Control at Baylor All Saints Hospital at Fort Worth. A comparison was made between the infection rates before and after the use of A-IPP. Overall, the risk of infection is extremely low (<1%). The newly implemented alcohol impregnated protectors do not significantly affect observed infection rates in the units investigated.