Economic impact of use of chlorhexidine-impregnated sponge dressing for prevention of central line-associated infections in the United States.

Background: The economic impact of adding chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG)-impregnated sponge dressing to standard care (ie, chg-impregnated sponge dressing + skin preparation and transparent film dressing vs skin preparation and transparent film dressing) for the prevention of central-line infections was evaluated.

Methods: Clinical and economic data were obtained from peer-reviewed published studies to populate the decision model. The efficacy of reducing catheter-related bloodstream infection (CR-BSI) incidence with CHG-impregnated sponge dressing came from 2 recent randomized controlled trials. One-way and two-way sensitivity analyses were performed on key clinical and economic parameters.

Results: Based on model calculations, a hypothetical 400-bed hospital inserting 3,078 central venous catheters (CVCs) per year is expected to avoid an average of 35 CR-BSIs, 145 local infections, and 281 intensive care unit days annually with the systematic use of CHG-impregnated sponge dressing. Potential hospital net cost savings (mainly because of reduced CR-BSIs with use of the dressing) would be $895,000 annually. Results were robust across a range of values in sensitivity analyses.

Conclusion: CHG-impregnated sponge dressing is a cost-effective CR-BSI prevention treatment option for patients requiring CVCs. The importance of these results should be considered in the context of federal government and insurance company policies that no longer permit enhanced reimbursement for CR-BSI.