ASA committee chair discusses rise in central-line infections during COVID-19

Richard Beers, M.D., chair of ASA’s Committee on Occupational Health, was quoted in a Modern Healthcare article regarding the increase in central-line associated bloodstream infections. “Health care workers have been placing the infusion devices connected to central lines outside of patients' rooms during the pandemic so they can make adjustments without entering the environment,” he said. “While this lowers the risk for contracting COVID-19, longer lines mean more potential for contamination of the ports and connections between lines.”