Search results for "Active Errors"

A woman with pneumothorax required urgent chest tube placement. After she showed improvement during her hospital stay, the pulmonary team requested the tube be disconnected and clamped with a follow-up radiograph 1 hour later. However, 3 hours after the tube was clamped, no radiograph had been done and the patient was found unresponsive, in cardiac arrest.

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections are considered preventable never events. This pre–post implementation project conducted in long-term care facilities employed a multimodal intervention, similar to the Keystone ICU project. This sociotechnical approach included checklists, care team education, leadership engagement, communication interventions, and patient and family engagement. The project was conducted over a 2-year period across 48 states. In adjusted analyses, this effort led to a significant decrease in catheter-associated urinary tract infections, despite no change in catheter utilization, suggesting that needed use of catheters became safer. A related editorial declares this project "a triumph" for AHRQ's Safety Program for Long-term Care.

Admitted to the ICU with septic shock, a man with a transplanted kidney developed hypotension and required new central venous access. Since providers anticipated using the patient's left internal jugular vein catheter for re-starting hemodialysis (making it unsuitable to use for resuscitation), the ICU team placed the central line in the right femoral vein. However, they failed to recognize that his transplanted kidney was on the right side, which meant that femoral catheter placement on that side was contraindicated.

Retained surgical items are considered a sentinel event. Discussing an incident involving the unintended retention of a catheter tip in a patient, this commentary explains why adequate supervision, communication, and clearly articulated responsibilities are important to enhance patient safety.

This case analysis discusses the use of a latex catheter in a patient with a known latex allergy and presents how root cause analysis identified factors that contributed to the error. Recommended corrective actions included educating staff about latex allergies and using a checklist to address communication, documentation, and process weaknesses.

A man with a history of cardiac disease was brought to the emergency department for septic shock of possible intra-abdominal origin. A vasopressor was ordered. However, rather than delivering it through a central line, the norepinephrine was infused through a peripheral line. The medication extravasated into the subcutaneous tissue of the patient's arm. Despite attempts to salvage the patient's wrist and fingers, three of his fingertips had to be amputated.

Accidental administration of irrigation solutions are a wrong-route error that can result in harm. This newsletter article reviews factors that contribute to these incidents in the operating room, such as unlabeled solutions, look-alike labeling, and line connection issues. Recommendations to reduce risks include communicating during transitions, safe storage, and immediate labeling.

Central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) represent a key source of preventable harm to patients, and they are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Prior research has shown that interventions to reduce CLABSIs result in significant cost savings to the health system but may decrease profit margins for hospitals. This systematic review examined the economic value of quality improvement efforts to reduce CLABSIs and catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs). Based on results from 15 studies, investigators concluded that hospital spending on CLABSI and CRBSI prevention efforts is worthwhile, leading to significant hospital savings as well as marked reductions in bloodstream infections. A PSNet perspective discussed the role of infection prevention in patient safety.

Describing an incorrect procedure incident which involved placement of a dialysis catheter instead of a central line, this commentary outlines the root causes of the event and how it could have been prevented. A related editorial introduces Performance Improvement, a series of case-based articles intended to support frontline performance improvement efforts.

Interventions intended to enhance patient safety may have unanticipated consequences. This systematic review found that unintended consequences of patient safety interventions, positive and negative, are common. Researchers recommend that all patient safety interventions should be monitored for these unexpected outcomes.

Hospitalized with poorly controlled diabetes, a man had a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) placed for intravenous pain medications, intravenous fluids, and parenteral nutrition. The next day, the patient complained of headache, unilateral vision loss, and left-sided tingling and numbness. Misplacement of the PICC in a left-sided superior vena cava had led to embolic strokes.

A hospitalized older man with a complicated medical history had not voided in several hours. The patient voided just prior to catheter insertion, which produced no urine, and the nurse assumed that meant the patient's bladder was empty. Two hours later the patient complained of discomfort and a blood clot was found in his tubing. Continuous bladder irrigation was ordered, but the pain became worse. Urgent consultation by urology revealed that the urinary catheter was not in the bladder.

A man with a history of poorly controlled diabetes and pancreatic insufficiency was found unresponsive. Paramedics transported him to the emergency department, where a resident placed a right internal jugular line for access but was unable to confirm placement. The resident pulled the line, opened a second line insertion kit, started over, and confirmed placement with ultrasound. The patient went into cardiac arrest, and a chest radiograph noted a retained guidewire in the pulmonary artery.

Catheter-associated infections are common, and largely preventable, adverse events. Though incidence of these events has declined due to intensive safety efforts, one factor contributing to intravenous catheter infections is the failure to remove unnecessary central venous catheters (CVCs). This study sought to determine whether inpatient physicians know which of their patients have CVCs in place by comparing physician response to direct observation of each patient. Physicians were unaware of CVCs in about 20% of the cases examined. Trainee physicians were more likely to be aware of a CVC than teaching attending physicians or hospitalists, and critical care physicians were more likely to know about a CVC than general medicine physicians. These findings suggest that interventions to reduce CVC-associated infections should address clinician awareness of CVCs. An AHRQ WebM&M commentary discusses best practices for removing CVCs.

This companion issue covers research findings by an AHRQ program to reduce health care–associated infections. Articles discuss antimicrobial stewardship programs, quality improvement assessment strategies, work-system factors that affect hospital-acquired infections, and prevention of central line–associated bloodstream infections as well as catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

This study determined that results from the AHRQ Hospital Survey on Patient Safety were associated with differences in central line–associated bloodstream infection rates. The authors found five different overall patterns of responses which they propose as distinct safety climates. These results argue for integrating survey results rather than testing whether each separate aspect of safety climate is linked to a particular safety problem.

The Joint Commission issues sentinel event alerts in response to significant emerging safety risks for events which carry high risk and require immediate action. This alert reports on new standards for tubing connectors to prevent injury from incorrect administration of therapeutic agents. New ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards prevent one type of tubing (such as intravenous) to be incorrectly attached to a different delivery system (such as a feeding tube.) The Joint Commission recommends multidisciplinary review of existing tubing connectors, maintaining awareness of the possibility for incorrect connections, and preparing and adopting safety connectors as soon as they are available in late 2014. A past AHRQ WebM&M commentary describes an administration error due to incorrect tubing connection.

Multiple national efforts focus on eliminating central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), which are a key source of patient harm. Prior investigations have shown that although avoidance of these costly infections results in overall health care savings, hospitals may actually earn more from private payer reimbursements for patients that develop CLABSI. This study adapted a historical economic model to estimate the net benefits of preventing CLABSI in Medicare and Medicaid patients in intensive care units. From 1990 to 2008, approximately 50,000 CLABSIs were avoided in these patients, resulting in net savings ranging from $640 million to $1.8 billion for the federal government. This translates into a per dollar rate of return on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investments between $3.88 and $23.85. These numbers may all be underestimates since only patients in intensive care units were included, and many patients with CLABSI are in other hospital wards. This study provides support for the business case for patient safety efforts.

Following removal of a central venous catheter placed during his admission for a prolonged course of intravenous antibiotics, a young man with a history of Behçet disease was discharged from the hospital. Shortly thereafter, he presented to the emergency department with acute onset shortness of breath and a "whistling sound" coming from his neck. Diagnosed with air embolism, he was admitted to the ICU.

This educational study found that anesthesiology residents were more likely to initiate an airway technique for which they had received simulation training, even if another technique (for which they received didactic training) would have been more appropriate. This finding demonstrates how training may inadvertently introduce cognitive bias.