A central line is often necessary to receive fluids and medication. Sometimes patients can develop infections associated with these catheters, especially if they have a weak immune system or have chronic diseases. To reduce the risk of infection, it is important to maintain the cleanliness of the line and insertion site as well as removing the line as soon as possible.

Patients are encouraged to remind their care team to take necessary precautions to reduce risk of infection. Patients and family members should also feel empowered to ask about the necessity of a central line to assure its appropriateness and that it is removed as soon as possible.

Appropriate hand hygiene by the care team, patient, and visitors is an important part of infection prevention.

An infection that occurs after a patient has colorectal surgery that occurs at the body site where the surgery took place. While some infections only involve the skin (superficial), others are more serious and can involve deeper tissues, organs, or implanted materials. The value shown below is a Standardized Infection Ratio (SIR), which is the ratio of the actual number of infections to the expected number of infections during the measurement period. An SIR below 1.0 indicate that the numbers of infections after colon surgery are below the number of expected infections.

For Jan-Dec 2019, our survey results indicate that 74% of our patients would recommend San Antonio Regional Hospital to their family and friends. This exceeded the current Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) national average of 69% and the California average of 71%.