A new quality approach to reducing vascular access infections.

Infections in patients on chronic hemodialysis pose tremendous long-term health issues because these patients are inherently susceptible to infection. This is due to prolonged periods of vascular usage and that the body systems of these patients are already immunosuppressed due to end stage renal disease and dialysis. Exposure to bacterial; nosocomial, and other infections related to vascular accesses cause morbidity and mortality. Whether the patient has a central venous catheter, an arteriovenous graft, or the access of choice--the arteriovenous fistula, a quality approach to reducing infection can be used to improve patient outcomes.