Anesthesiology: Preventing Bloodstream Infections

IV lines are important so we can give your child medicine in the easiest and least painful way. Sometimes, lines can lead to infections. We are doing everything we can to prevent these infections.

If your child has an IV line, it is easier for bacteria (germs) to get into their blood. This can cause a bloodstream infection. If your child gets a bloodstream infection, they:

• Need to take an antibiotic
• May need to be admitted to the hospital or stay longer
• May need to get a new line

There are many ways to prevent infections. Cleaning our hands is the most important. Here are some other important ways we prevent bloodstream infections:

• Touching the line as little as possible
• Cleaning the skin around the line
• Making sure that healthcare providers who touch your child’s line follow consistent and safe practices. For example, nurses always wear gloves when handling the central line.

Anesthesiologists use a different practice when they touch your child’s line. This is because of the steps in the care they give when your child receives anesthesia or sedation. Anesthesiologists will wear gloves when caring for your child’s airway. Then they will remove the gloves and clean their hands before touching your child’s IV line. By removing gloves that may be “dirty” from the airway and cleaning our hands before touching the line, we lower your child’s risk of getting a bloodstream infection. You may see your anesthesiologist touch the IV line with clean bare hands, or with new clean gloves that they have put on just before touching the line.

No. This care practice is only for anesthesiologists.