8: All About APIC’s New Guide Tackles All Catheter-Associated Bloodstream Infections

Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology’s (APIC’s) latest guide marks an important evolution in infection prevention by expanding beyond the traditional focus on central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSIs) to address all catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CABSIs). In this conversation with DJ Shannon, MPH, CIC, VA-BC, FAPIC, infection prevention manager and patient safety advocate for Community Health Network, a key contributor to the guide, Infection Control Today® (ICT®) explores why this broader approach matters, how it redefines patient safety priorities, and what infection preventionists (IPs) should take away as they work to reduce bacteremia risks across all vascular access devices.

The interview was conducted at the APIC Conference & Expo (APIC25), about the exciting news announced at the conference, held in Phoenix, Arizona, from June 16 to 18, 2025.


ICT: What was the final influence and inspiration to write this book?

DJS: Thankfully, I was approached by Becca [Rebecca Crapanzano-Sigafoos, DrPH, CIC, AL-CIP, FAPIC, executive director of APIC’s Center for Research, Practice, and Innovation] and Frankie [Frankie Catalfumo, MPH, CIC, CRCST, director of APIC’s Practice Guidance and Health Equity]. They had this idea—it's time. We needed to update our old CLABSI implementation guide, and they felt it was the right moment to bring a new face to it. Those of us on the writing and advisory teams realized we needed to broaden the scope beyond just CLABSI. From a patient’s perspective, they don’t care whether they develop bacteremia from a central line or a peripheral line—and neither do I. I want us to prevent all bacteremias. That’s really where this guide comes into play. We’re shifting from a framework hyper-focused on central lines and CLABSI to catheter-associated bloodstream infections—so all vascular access devices. I’m excited because it gives us a new way to share with infection preventionists and all healthcare workers how we can keep patients even safer.


ICT: In the book, the first part describes what a hospital-onset bacteremia (HOB), a CABSI, and a CLABSI are. Can you explain the differences and how they relate?

DJS: When we think about bacteremia, HOB stands for hospital-onset bacteremia and fungemia. That’s the big umbrella, capturing all bacteremias in patients, regardless of whether they’re linked to a medical device or a specific pathogen like MRSA. Then, under that, we have CABSI, which are bacteremias associated specifically with vascular access devices. And even more narrowly, we have CLABSI, which is just those bacteremias tied to central venous access devices or central lines. It all overlaps. We definitely discuss these distinctions in the guide and explain why this is a CABSI guide, not an HOB guide, right in the introduction. HOB is a huge topic with a lot of discussion right now, but we can’t boil the ocean overnight. This is one big step in the direction we ultimately want to go.

ICT: What do you want readers’ main takeaway to be once they finish the guide?

DJS: That’s a great question. At the center of our competency model is patient safety. Right now, by focusing mainly on CLABSI, we’re only looking at certain aspects of patient safety. Broadening our lens gives us a much bigger impact for patients—and that’s why we’re here. More tangibly, I hope readers realize the importance of infection preventionists collaborating closely with vascular access specialists. For example, literature might show that placing a device in a certain location reduces infection risk, and that’s statistically significant. But vascular access specialists focus on vessel health and preservation. There are so many more elements to device and site selection than what our usual infection prevention lens captures. I hope reading this peels back those layers and helps us learn there’s more to it than simply saying, “put this device in this location.”

ICT: Is there anything specific you want ICT’s audience to know?

DJS: Honestly, the whole guide—I’m a little biased—is valuable. But toward the end, we added a section on measures infection preventionists can bring into their facilities and surveillance programs. We all look at outcome measures like CAUTI and CLABSI, but w