Community Central Line Infection Prevention Trial
Phase: NA
Conditions: Infection
Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University

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COMMUNITY CENTRAL LINE INFECTION 
PREVENTION (CCLIP) Trial 
 
 
NCT02351258 
 
 
10/20/2015  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 

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COMMUNITY CENTRAL LINE INFECTION PREVENTION (CCLIP) Trial   
Study Protocol  
  
  
   
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:                  
Marlene R. Miller, MD, MSc  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Professor of Pediatrics  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Professor of Health Policy and Management  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Vice Chair, Quality and Safety  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chief Quality Officer, Pediatrics  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions    
      200 N Wolfe Street - Rubenstein 2094        Baltimore, MD  21287  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Office: 443-287-5365  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Fax: 410-614-9773  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Email: mmille21@jhmi.edu  
  
 
  
FUNDING SOURCE:   
  
  
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
R01 HS 022870  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
“Eliminating CLABSIs in Ambulatory Patients”  
  
  
Key Study Personnel  
Marlene R. Miller, MD, MSc  
Professor of Pediatrics  
Professor of Health Policy and Management  
Vice Chair, Quality and Safety  
Chief Quality Officer, Pediatrics  
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions    
200 N Wolfe Street - Rubenstein 2094   
Baltimore, MD  21287  
Office: 443-287-5365  
Fax: 410-614-9773  
Mmille21@jhmi.edu  
Aaron M. Milstone, MD MHS  
Associate Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases 
and Epidemiology Johns Hopkins University  
Associate Hospital Epidemiologist  
Johns Hopkins Hospital    
200 N Wolfe Street - Rubenstein 3141   
Baltimore, MD  21287  
Office: 443-287-8932 Fax: 
410-614-1491  
amilsto1@jhmi.edu  
  

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Carol Rosenberg, RN, ND  
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions    
200 N Wolfe Street - Rubenstein 2091  
Baltimore, MD  21287  
Office: 410-614-3028 Fax: 
410-614-9773 
cheiser1@jhmi.edu  
Gayane Yenokyan, PhD  
Johns Hopkins University  
Biostatistics Consulting Center  
615 N. Wolfe St., Room E3153  
Baltimore, MD 21287 gyenokya@jhsph.edu  
  
  
  
 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Section/Title Page #   
1. Synopsis     
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 4  
2. Background and Rationale  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 5   
A. Background  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 5   
B. Rationale     
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 5  
C. Significance of the Proposed Research     
  
  
  
 7   
3. Study Purpose, Objectives and Hypotheses    
  
  
  
  
 7  
A. Purpose  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 7  
B. Objectives    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 7  
C. Primary Hypothesis  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 7  
D. Secondary Hypotheses  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 7  
4. Study Procedures   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 8  
   
A. 
Design Summary   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 8  
B. 
Study Organization     
  
  
  
  
  
  
 8  
C. 
Study Timeline  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 8  
D. 
Intervention Arm  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   9   
  
i. Intervention   
 
 
  
  
  
  
   9  
ii. 
Alternative Acceptable Intervention    
  
  
  
 9  
iii. 
Intervention Distribution to Clinics     
  
  
  
 9  
iv. 
Intervention Distribution via Clinics to Patients/Families   
  
 9   
  
v. Instruction on 
Intervention to Clinics  
  
  
  
  
10  
  
  
vi. Instruction on Intervention via Clinics to Patients/Families  
  
10  
E. 
Control Arm    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
10   
F. 
Enrollment and Ongoing Participation of Patients/Families via Clinics  
  
10   
  
i. 
Patient Eligibility   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
10  
ii. 
Patient Recruitment   
  
  
  
  
  
10  
iii. 
Patient Consent  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
10  
iv. 
Patient Refusal to Participate  
  
  
  
  
  
11   
  
v. Patient 
Withdrawal from Trial   
  
  
  
  
11  
  
  
vi. Change in Patient’s Ambulatory Status during the CCLIP Trial   
11  
5. Primary and Secondary Outcomes  
  
  
  
  
  
  
11  
A. 
Primary Outcome   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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B. 
Secondary Outcomes   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
11  
C. 
Decision Flow when Adjudicating Primary vs Secondary BSI  
  
  
12  
6. Institutional Clinic Data Collection and Submission     
  
  
12  
A. 
Required Monthly Data for CCLIP Trial  
  
  
  
  
  
12  
B. 
Annual Data for CCLIP Trial    
  
  
  
  
  
13  
C. 
Compliance Data   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
13  
D. 
Adverse Event Data    
  
  
  
  
  
  
13  
7. Risks and Benefits  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
13  
A. Potential risks  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
13  
B. Protection against risks  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
14  
C. Potential Benefits     
  
  
  
  
  
  
14   
8. Statistical Plan    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
15  
A. Sample size and power estimates   
  
  
  
  
  
15  
B. Statistical analysis   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
16  
9. Payment and Remuneration  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
16  
10. Costs  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
17  
11. References  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
17  
  
  
1. Synopsis:  
The overall goal of this Community Central Line Infection Prevention (CCLIP) trial, supported by grant R01 
HS022870 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, is to determine whether use of a promising 
new intervention, namely 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps on central lines, in the home setting 
is associated with a reduction in ambulatory central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in a 
highrisk population of pediatric hematology/oncology patients.  The National Association of Children’s 
Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI), now renamed the Children’s Hospital Association (the 
Association), a 200+ member, not-for-profit organization of children's hospitals, has developed, sustained and 
spread several quality transformation efforts focused on CLABSI elimination in hospitalized settings.  The 
Association’s CLABSI prevention work in hospitalized, non-intensive care unit (ICU) children with chronic 
conditions was supported by an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) grant (R18 HS019590 
“Eliminating CLABSIs in Chronic Central Lines”).  Preliminary analyses show a nearly 30% decrease in 
CLABSI rates in this high-risk non-ICU population.  The Association’s Pediatric ICU CLABSI effort, operating 
since 2006 and involving over 70 PICUs, has resulted in CLABSI rates dropping dramatically from 5.5 
infections per 1,000 central line days to approximately 1 infection per 1,000 central line days.  Despite these 
successes, it remains unknown what generalizable best practices should be with chronic central lines in the 
home setting and how effective involving patients and caregivers across multiple institutions in CLABSI 
reduction efforts will be.  This proposed research, working with an anticipated 24 children’s hospitals, will layer 
a cluster-randomized, cross-over design, clinical trial on the learnings and foundation of the prior AHRQ-
supported grant to standardize and spread best-practice care bundles among caregivers for children with 
chronic hematologic/oncologic conditions.  This proposal will be first prospective trial of a promising new 
intervention and will focus on the caregivers integral to ambulatory pediatric central line care: patients and 

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families.  Successful completion of this project will give AHRQ, healthcare providers, patients, payers, and 
policymakers generalizable and effective tools for spreading CLABSI eradication efforts outside hospitalized 
settings.    
 
2. Background and Rationale:   
  
A. Background:   
The proposed study addresses the salient topic of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in 
chronic central lines at home for children with chronic hematologic and oncologic diagnoses.  Evidence-based 
practice can, we believe, dramatically reduce patient risk of CLABSI and the resulting morbidity in this high-risk 
population. Childhood survival after a cancer diagnosis has significantly increased over the past 25 years in the 
United States.1,2 One reason is intensive chemotherapy regimens delivered through implanted and 
nonimplanted central lines.1,2 Unfortunately, these same central lines put many immune-compromised children 
at risk for healthcare associated infections such as CLABSIs.  Much research has been accomplished on 
reducing CLABSIs in the hospitalized patient but relatively none has been done for CLABSIs occurring at 
home.3,4,5,6  In high risk populations, such as children with hematologic/oncologic diagnoses, a recent study 
noted a 2-fold increase in the number of ambulatory pediatric oncology CLABSIs as compared to inpatient 
pediatric oncology CLABSIs.7 Our own single institutional research (AHRQ grant K08 HS021282 “CLABSIs in 
Ambulatory Pediatric Oncology Patients) found a 3-fold higher incidence of CLABSI in ambulatory settings as 
compared to inpatient settings for children with oncologic diagnoses.8  These data suggest a higher burden of 
CLABSI disease in the ambulatory setting.  Furthermore, the impact of a CLABSI at home is substantially 
greater than as an inpatient as these events most often result in a hospitalization, active treatment for the 
infection, as well as missed time from school and work for the patient and caregivers. Central lines in the home 
setting have unique attributes that hamper translation of known best practices in the inpatient setting.  Three 
examples illustrate these unique attributes: 1. the caregivers handling the central line at home are patients and 
families as opposed to medically trained nurses and physicians; 2. one strategy to reduce inpatient CLABSI is 
to remove the central line as soon as possible; in the ambulatory setting, the express purpose of the central 
line is to leave it in for extended duration; and 3. the central line in a home setting is subject to realities not 
encountered in hospitals such as patients playing sports or exercising, routinely showering, and pets.  The 
recent development of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps for central lines opens the door to a 
relatively easy to use, inexpensive, and therefore, amenable to use in the home setting, medical device to 
reduce CLABSI.  Initial studies on these 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps suggest significant 
reductions in inpatient CLABSI rates.9,10,11  This proposal will be the first prospective trial of the use of these 
promising 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps to reduce CLABSI in the home setting and also be 
one of the first prospective trials of any interventions to reduce CLABSI in the home setting.   
  
B. Rationale:   
  
Central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI)   
CLABSIs are common.3,4,5   The overwhelming majority of CLABSI research to date derives from intensive care 
units and a 2011 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) attests to the dramatic 
reductions in ICU CLABSI cases over the last 10 years.3,6  What this recent CDC report also highlights 
however is that the burden of CLABSIs is now centered on outpatient settings and non-ICU inpatient wards.  
The last several reports from the CDC on CLABSI rates have consistently shown that across all types of 
settings and patients, children are at the high end of CLABSI rates.12,13,14  The most recent estimates from 
December 2009 show that Pediatric ICUs continue to have the third highest rate compared to 13 other types of  
ICU, and among 20 types of non-ICU inpatient wards pediatric medical/surgical wards have the highest 
CLABSI rates.15  This higher rate in pediatric settings likely derives from intrinsic differences in how central 
lines are handled between adult and pediatric patients and makes pediatrics an ideal learning environment.  
What is equally important to stress however is the 2011 CDC report highlights for the first time that that highest 

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rates of CLABSI in the United States at present are in outpatient settings.  None of the nearly annual CDC 
reports on CLABSIs nor data in the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) at present 
systematically includes data on outpatient CLABSIs.  Given the trend in ICU and non-ICU inpatient settings, it 
is highly likely that children have some of the highest rates of outpatient CLABSIs.  
  
CLABSIs are also costly, averaging $45,000 per event, and potentially lethal.13  Looking at the decline in ICU 
CLABSI from 2001 to 2009, the CDC recently estimated that the success of CLABSI reduction efforts in ICUs 
has saved over 6,000 lives and $1.8 billion in cumulative excess healthcare costs.3  The lives and cost savings 
achievable among chronic central lines outside the ICU are unknown, but are likely greater in magnitude given 
the shift in healthcare to increased survivability with chronic conditions and the advances in chronic delivery of 
medications via central lines both outside the ICU and even outside hospitals.    
  
CLABSI’s are a significant source of morbidity, mortality and added medical costs for pediatric 
hematology/oncology patients.16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23  According to the most recent NHSN data, the rate of CLABSI’s 
among pediatric oncology patients is higher than CLABSI rates among 10 types of ICUs.  In addition, pediatric 
rates of CLABSI among temporary central lines in oncology are the highest compared to all adult oncology 
patients, including bone marrow transplant recipients, with a rate of 4.6 infections per 1000 central line days.15    
  
Evidence of ‘what works’ for chronic central line CLABSI prevention can be best discovered 
with pediatric central lines, building on prior research  
Compared to adult ICU efforts, diligent focus in the mid 2000s on solely central line insertion practices in 
Pediatric ICUs had yielded much smaller reductions in CLABSI.6,24,25 The reasons behind this historic reality 
are multi-faceted.  First, key differences exist in the evidence behind some central line-related insertion factors 
that are important in adult CLABSI reduction, namely a lack of evidence that the femoral site is problematic in 
children.26,27,28  In addition, pediatric healthcare providers recognize that children have unique risks factors for 
CLABSI compared to adult patients.  For example, pediatric providers utilize central lines differently than 
adultfocused providers, with a greater reliance on maintaining central lines to obtain needed blood samples or 
keeping lines in place longer to ensure secure venous access in an emergency given the difficulty of venous 
access especially in small children.  Based on the initial 12 months of work of first 29 PICUs participating in the 
National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) Pediatric ICU CLABSI 
reduction effort from October 2006 through September 2007, we now know that for children in ICUs the main 
driver for reducing CLABSI is safe day to day handling of the central line, known as Maintenance Care, not the 
practices around insertion of central lines.29,30  In short, while adult-focused ICU providers can nearly eliminate 
the risk of CLABSI by focusing on best practices when central lines are inserted, pediatric providers need to 
instead focus on the day to day handling of central lines in the ICU in order to reduce CLABSI.  For every one 
central line insertion there are literally hundreds of episodes of day to day handling of the central line for each 
patient.  This pediatric driven evidence that the day to day maintenance care of central lines leads to CLABSI 
reduction, opens the door to expanding CLABSI reduction efforts to chronic outpatient central lines, where 
maintenance care is paramount.   
  
Compounding the ‘unknown’ on how best to handle chronic, outpatient central lines is the reality that ICU 
efforts on reducing CLABSI include a focus on ‘removing’ central lines as fast as clinically possible.   In chronic 
outpatient central lines, such as with chronic oncologic or hematologic conditions, the express purpose of the 
central line is to keep the central line in place for weeks and even months.  It is undoubted that a more robust 
daily maintenance care bundle for chronic, outpatient central lines will need to be developed and evaluated 
than has been shown effective for maintenance in acute central lines in ICUs.  It is imperative, therefore, that 
research of the type we propose is undertaken to develop and evaluate promising new practices, such as the 
reliable use of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps on central lines, for day to day handling of 
chronic, outpatient central lines by patients and families so that CLABSI rates in the outpatient setting can 
finally be reduced.    

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The outpatient setting introduces numerous complexities not encountered in the ICU setting, namely patients 
and non-clinical caregivers doing a majority of the day-to-day central line care.  Focused research needs to be 
done to understand how to extrapolate and tailor ICU-based CLABSI reduction efforts to chronic, outpatient 
central lines.  Given that children with oncologic conditions have one of the highest burdens of CLABSIs 
among chronic central lines and over 60% of these children have a central line, they represent an ideal 
population for this research.  
  
70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps to reduce CLABSI are a new and ideal 
intervention for patients and families to implement  
In 2012 and 2013, three published studies have shown promising impact of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded 
protective caps to reduce CLABSI and overall positive blood culture rates, likely due to reduced central line 
hub contamination, within the hospital.9,10,11  These studies have, respectively, been conducted on an inpatient 
adult oncology unit, 2 adult ICUs, and all adult inpatient units, each within a single health system.  The reported 
dramatic and statistically significant CLABSI rate decreases were, respectively, as follows: 2.3 CLABSI/1,000 
central line days down to 0.3 CLABSI/1,000 central line days; 1.9 CLABSI/1,000 central line days down to 0.5 
CLABSI/1,000 central line days; and 1.43 CLABSI/1,000 central line days down to 0.69 CLABSI/1,000 central 
line days.  The dramatic and statistically significant decreases in rates of positive blood cultures due to 
contaminated central line hubs were, respectively, as follows: 2.5% decreased to 0.2%, and 12.7% decreased 
to 5.5%. These data suggest approximately 50-80% decreases in inpatient CLABSI rates and positive blood 
culture rates due to hub contamination due to use of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps.  Each 
of these studies, however, was only done within a single institution and only done on the inpatient side.  While 
clearly showing a significant inpatient CLABSI and positive blood culture rate impact, these 70% isopropyl 
alcohol embedded protective caps are an ideal intervention for the more chaotic and less controlled home 
setting.  These protective caps are applied to central lines in a few seconds, luer lock onto the central line cap 
for safety, and then passively protect the central line by continuously bathing the central line cap in 70% 
isopropyl alcohol.  These protective caps disinfect the central line access port within 3 minutes and can keep 
the central line access port clean for up to 7 days before needing to be changed.  In the home setting, the 
likelihood of the central line access port touching non-sterile surfaces or, for example, inadvertently slipping 
inside the diaper of a small child, is much greater than the more controlled inpatient setting.  These 70% 
isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps would provide an easily applied and consistent barrier of 
protection for the central line access ports to prevent catheter hub contamination, subsequent bacteremias, 
and CLABSIs.    
    
C. Significance of the Proposed Research:  
New research, focused on pediatric care has proven that once we achieve ideal central line insertion-related 
practices that the most important driver for further reducing CLABSIs is the daily maintenance care.29,30 
Furthermore, a 2011 CDC report highlights that the greatest burden of CLABSI is now the outpatient setting 
due to 10+ years of successful research on reducing ICU CLABSI.3  This project can and would change 
healthcare by finally broadening the focus on preventing CLABSI from just acute central lines utilized in ICU to 
the chronic central lines in the ambulatory setting.  Although hard estimates are difficult to obtain, there exist 
substantially more central lines in outpatient settings than inpatient due to the advances in healthcare and 
home care.  Our proposed study will be the first prospective trial of a promising new intervention, 70% 
isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps, to reduce CLABSI in the home setting.  This work will 
scientifically address the silence in baseline data on outpatient CLABSI rates and the silence on effective 
national recommendations regarding best practices, such as 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps 
on central lines, for management of chronic, outpatient central lines.  Given the high burden of chronic, 
outpatient central lines and infections in the community, the time has come for innovative efforts to tackle the 
CLABSI problem in environments outside the well-investigated ICUs.    

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3. Study Purpose, Objective and Hypotheses:  
  
A. Purpose: The goal of this project is to determine the effectiveness of 70% isopropyl alcohol 
embedded protective caps to reduce CLABSIs, secondary bloodstream infections (BSI), and single 
positive blood cultures (SPBC) at home for chronic central lines in pediatric hematology/oncology 
patients.  
  
B. Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps to 
“usual care” on reducing CLABSIs, secondary BSI, and SPBC at home for chronic central lines in 
pediatric hematology/oncology patients.  
  
  
C. Primary Hypothesis: Use of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps on central lines will 
be associated with at least a 25% reduction in the ambulatory CLABSI rate for pediatric 
hematology/oncology patients.  
 D. Secondary Hypotheses:   
  
i. 
Use of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps on central lines will be associated 
with at least a 25% reduction in the positive blood culture rate (defined as sum of CLABSI + 
BSI + SPBC) at home for pediatric hematology/oncology patients.  
ii. 
Use of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps on central lines will reduce 
Grampositive CLABSI, secondary blood steam infections, and single positive blood cultures 
at home for pediatric hematology/oncology patients.  
  
4. Study Procedures:   
  
A. Design Summary:  
The proposed Community Central Line Infection Prevention (CCLIP) trial is an investigator-initiated, 
cluster-randomized, 2 period crossover, clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of 70% isopropyl 
alcohol embedded protective caps in reducing CLABSIs, secondary BSI, and SPBC at home for 
chronic central lines in pediatric hematology/oncology patients.  The Control Arm will involve reliable 
use of the best practice “usual care” for ambulatory central lines and the Intervention Arm will add use 
of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps in addition to “usual care”.  Each participating 
institution will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or control phase of the design for the first 
12 months of the study.  There will then be a 3 month wash out period, followed by each institution then 
implementing either the control or intervention phase for another 12 months such that each institution 
will complete 12 months each in the intervention arm and the control arms of the study.   
B. Study Organization:  
The work will build on the partnership between the pediatric quality improvement research group at 
Johns Hopkins University which will serve as the CCLIP Trial Coordinating Center, the 12-24 individual 
institutional teams comprised of pediatric hematology/oncology clinics across the USA, and the vendor  
3M Corporation, maker of the CUROS® brand 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps for  
central lines.31,32    
The CCLIP Trial Coordinating Center will be at Johns Hopkins University.  Dr. Miller is Principal 
Investigator.  The Coordinating Center also includes: Dr. Aaron Milstone at Johns Hopkins University, 
director of pediatric hospital epidemiology and infection control; Dr. Elizabeth Colantuoni a  
Biostatistician and Assistant Scientist in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Nichole  
Persing, a Research Assistant who will focus on data collection and quality assurance, and a To Be 
Determined Research Assistant who will focus on support of the 12-24 individual institutional teams 

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participating in this trial.  In addition, the CCLIP Trial Coordinating Center will work in partnership with 
the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Biostatistics Consulting Center for final data 
analysis of this trial.   
Each of the anticipated 12-24 individual pediatric hematology/oncology institutional teams from across 
the USA will designate a Principal Investigator for their site as well as a Nurse Champion and clinic 
team to work on this trial.    
C. Study Timeline:  
The work will span four years.  Year 1 Preparatory work will include establishing Institutional Review 
Board approval at participating institutions, setting up distribution mechanisms for the intervention 
both to the clinics and then within each clinic to the homes, and educating providers, patients, and 
families on how to apply the CUROS® cap across all the participating institutions. (Table 1)    Table 1: 
Proposed Timeline  
STUDY YEAR  
1  
 
2  
 
3  
 
 
4  
 
Calendar Year  
2014-2015  
2015-2016  
 
2016-2017   
 
2017-2018   
Quarter  
3  
4  
1  
2  
3  
4  
1  
2  
3  
4  
1  
2  
3  
4  
1  
2  
Year One preparatory 
work  
X  
X  
X  
X  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hypothesis #1 and #2  
  
  
  
  
X  
X  
X  
X  
  
  
X  
X  
X  
X  
  
  
Hypothesis #3  
  
  
  
  
X  
X  
X  
X  
  
  
X  
X  
X  
X  
  
  
Wash out period 
between crossover  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
X  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Intervention ramp up 
for crossover teams  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
X  
X  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Analysis/Manuscript 
preparation  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
X  
X  
  
D. Intervention Arm:   
i. 
Intervention:  
The intervention we will deploy in the CCLIP Trial is the CUROS® brand of 70% isopropyl alcohol 
embedded protective caps for central lines.  (Figure 1 and 2)  These caps are manufactured by 3M 
Corporation.  As in kind contribution to this proposed study, 3M Corporation has agreed to donate and 
distribute all needed CUROS® caps to the participating institutions for the duration of this study.  3M 
Corporation had no role in study design and will have no role in the data collection, data analysis, data 
interpretation, writing of the report, or decisions regarding publication.   
Figures 1 and 2: Photographs of the green CUROS® 70% Isopropyl Alcohol Embedded 
Protective Cap for Central Lines  
    

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ii. 
Alternative Acceptable Intervention:  
It is possible that some teams interested in participating in this CCLIP trial may prefer to use a 
comparable brand of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps for central lines (e.g. DualCap 
or SwabCap).  If the CCLIP Trial Coordinating Center finds this to be the preference of some of the 
teams, these teams would be permitted to enroll in this trial, assuming they agree to the full protocol as 
written here.  These teams using a comparable brand of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective 
caps for central lines (e.g. DualCap or SwabCap) would not receive in kind contribution of the 
intervention central line caps via 3M Corporation.  These teams would be expected to supply their own 
chosen brand of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps for central lines. All sites using an 
alternative acceptable intervention must agree to fully participate in both arms of the trial, the 
Intervention Arm and Control Arm.  
iii. Intervention Distribution to Clinics:  
Distribution of the CUROS® caps will be accomplished via 3M Corporation directly to the clinics of each 
participating institution.  Each participating clinic site will need to establish contact staff for receipt, 
storage and distribution of CUROS® caps.    
iv.  Intervention Distribution via Clinics to 
Patients/Families:  
Children with chronic hematologic/oncologic conditions are seen frequently in pediatric 
hematology/oncology clinics, often up to several times per week.  Subjects (pediatric patients of the 
hematology/oncology clinics with external central lines) and their parents/caregivers will receive 
supplies of the 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps for central lines as well as 
standardized instructions for use from the clinic staff/local institutional research team at their usually 
scheduled recurring clinic visits.  There will not be any required clinic visits solely for the purposes of 
this CCLIP Trial.    
  
Clinic staff will distribute and track the volume of CUROS® caps dispensed to each family/patient, with 
the family/patient reporting back each subsequent visit on the remaining volume of CUROS® caps.  
This will ensure reliable distribution to the families/patients, provide a face-to-face educational 
opportunity to ensure proper application of the CUROS® cap, and provide opportunities to assess 
compliance via volume of CUROS® caps utilized.    
  
v. Instruction on Intervention to Clinics:  
  
The CCLIP Trial Coordinating Center in partnership with 3M Corporation will facilitate staff education on 
the use and disposal of CUROS® caps.  This will be tailored to the needs of each participating clinic 
and may include the following: brochures, video demonstrations, conference calls, and site visits.    
  

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vi. Instruction on Intervention via Clinics to Patients/Families:  
  
The CCLIP Trial Coordinating Center in partnership with 3M Corporation will facilitate clinic staff on 
developing their patient/family educational materials for the use and disposal of CUROS® caps. The 
instructions will entail teaching that the hub of the central line is to be protected via luer-lock placement 
of the 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps for central lines at all times while the patient is 
in the ambulatory setting (e.g. home, school, work, etc).  If there is the need to infuse medications, 
parenteral nutrition, flush solutions, or fluids, the 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective cap is to 
be removed and discarded.  After completion of the infusion, a new 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded 
protective cap will be luer-locked onto the central line hub by the patient or parent/caregiver.  Any 
single 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective cap can only stay in place for 7 consecutive days.  
Therefore, instructions will also include changing the 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps 
for central lines at 7 days.   
  
E. Control Arm:  
    
Each participating institutional team will participate in both the Intervention Arm and the Control Arm for 
12 months time each.  During the Control Arm, the care of the central line while the patient is in the 
ambulatory setting will be per individual institutional policy for ambulatory central line care.  
  
F. Enrollment and Ongoing Participation of Patients/Families via the Clinics:  
  
  
i. 
Patient Eligibility:   
  
All patients of the participating pediatric hematology/oncology clinics who have an external central line 
(e.g. Hickman, Broviac, central PICC, non-tunneled central lines) will be eligible for participation in this 
trial.  Given that the intervention is a protective cap for central line access connectors, patients who 
only have a totally implanted port as their central venous access will not be eligible for this study as the 
intervention is not physically applicable to such central lines when they are not accessed.  There are no 
other exclusion criteria.  
  
ii. 
Patient Recruitment:  
  
The individual institutional clinic team will pre-screen patients for eligibility at the start of each clinic 
session. A member of the study team will approach the patient/parent/caregiver unit in their clinic room 
and inform them about the clinic’s participation in this minimal risk trial as outlined in the next sections.  
During each institutional clinic teams participation in the 12 month long Intervention Arm, all existing 
and new clinic patients during that 12-month time period will be informed about trial participation.    
  
iii. Patient Consent:  
  
Given the minimal risk of the trial, the CCLIP Trial will operate with a consent waiver although each 
participating site is required to comply with their own Institutional Review Board recommendations.  
This waiver will not adversely affect the rights and welfare of the participants given two factors: 1.  it is 
acceptable for individual patients/families to decline to participate; and 2. this trial is focused on 
patients/families complying with an intervention while the child is at home that the patients/families 
themselves are responsible for doing (e.g. if patients/families do not wish to participate in trial they have 
full control to not do so given they are the mediators of the trial's intervention).   

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A Patient Information Sheet, drafted by the CCLIP Trial Coordinating Center, will be provided to all 
eligible clinic patients.    
  
iv. Patient Refusal to Participate:  
  
Patients/parent/caregiver units may choose to not participate in this CCLIP trial.  These patients will 
continue to receive the usual ambulatory care for central lines as per institutional policy.  
  
v. Patient Withdrawal from Trial:  
  
Patient/parent/caregiver units may discontinue participation in the Intervention Arm if they choose.  In 
these cases, they will be instructed by clinic staff to resume the standard ambulatory care of their 
central line as per individual institutional policy.  
  
  
vi. Change in Patient’s Ambulatory Status during the CCLIP Trial:  
  
If during the Intervention Arm phase of the CCLIP trial an individual participant is admitted to the 
hospital, the use of the 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective cap will be discontinued and care 
of the central line will be per individual institutional inpatient policy.  
  
Upon discharge from that hospital admission, that individual participant can re-enter the CCLIP trial, 
using their home supply of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps..    
  
5. 
Primary and Secondary Outcomes:   
   
  
  
A. Primary Outcome:   
Primary outcome is ambulatory central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) during either 
the 12-month Intervention Arm or the 12-month Control Arm phase of this trial. CLABSIs will be defined 
according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC 
NHSN) criteria.  An ambulatory CLABSI is defined as a CLABSI that occurs more than 48 hours after 
hospital discharge or within 48 hours of hospital admission.  
  
Primary outcome ascertainment – Each participating institutional clinic team will work with their 
Infection Control staff to determine which ambulatory positive blood cultures meet definitional criteria 
for CLABSI.   
 B. Secondary Outcomes:  
  
i. 
Ambulatory secondary bloodstream infections (secondary BSI) during either the 12 
month Intervention Arm or the 12 month Control Arm phase of this trial. Secondary BSI 
will be defined as BSIs that meet the CDC NHSN’s criteria for BSIs with a secondary 
source (such as pneumonia, abscess, etc.). Secondary BSIs will also include those 
BSIs that meet the laboratory-confirmed mucosal barrier injury (LC-MBI) criteria.  
  
ii. 
Ambulatory single positive blood cultures (SPBC) during either the 12 month 
Intervention Arm or the 12-month Control Arm phase of this trial. Single positive blood 
cultures will be defined as any single positive blood culture that grows an organism on 
the CDC NHSN’s list of common commensal organisms (such as coagulase-negative 
Staphylococci, Bacillus spp.).  
  

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iii. 
Microorganism speciation name for any CLABSI, secondary BSI, or SPBC event.  
  
Secondary outcomes ascertainment – Each participating institutional clinic team will work with their  
Infection Control staff to determine which ambulatory positive blood cultures meet definitional criteria for 
CLABSI  
  
   
C.   Decision flow when adjudicating primary versus secondary BSI:  
 
  
  
6. 
Institutional Clinic Data Collection and Submission:   
  
  
  
A. Required Monthly Data for CCLIP Trial:  
Each participating institutional clinic will set up procedures to collect and submit aggregate clinic level data 
required for this CCLIP trial.  Aggregate clinic data will be collected and submitted as an “intention to treat at 
the clinic level” approach.  This means that if some patients with external central lines decline to participate in 
this trial, the aggregate clinic data for that site will still include the primary and secondary outcomes as well as 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Positive blood culture  
≤ 48 hours after admission to the hospital or ≥ 48  
hours since discharge from the hospital  
AMBULATORY EVENT for CCLIP Trial  
Catheter associated if CVL  in situ  
within 48 hours of positive culture  
primary site for BSI  
no 
AND  
Meets NHSN laboratory confirmed blood stream infection criteria 1, 2 or 3?  
 
Ambulatory CLABSI  
 
Includes likely pathogens based on clinical  
course and isolate, e.g., alpha strep or  
contaminants such CoNS with culture  
growth > 24 hrs  
Ambulatory  
Secondary BSI  
> 48 hours after admission to the hospital or < 48  
hours since discharge from the hospital  
INPATIENT EVENT (not part of CCLIP Trial)  
Yes 
BSI secondary to primary NHSN  
infection (e.g. pneumonia) or event  
meets MBI criteria  
No 
Single positive culture for  
common commensal organism  
No 
Ambulatory  
Single Positive Blood Culture   

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the central line day counts for these non-participating patients.  No patient identifiable or protected health 
information will be submitted to the CCLIP Trial Coordinating Center at Johns Hopkins University.  The data to 
be submitted by each institutional team to Johns Hopkins University and encompassing only their CCLIP Trial 
eligible and participating patients include:  
i. 
Overall count of CLABSI, secondary BSI and single positive blood cultures for their entire 
eligible ambulatory patient population each month (participating and non-participating 
patients).    
ii. 
Monthly aggregate external central line day count for their entire eligible patient population 
(participating and non-participating patients).  If any given patient is admitted to the hospital 
during any month, the contribution of that patient’s ambulatory central line days to the clinic 
aggregate ambulatory central line day tally will exclude the inpatient days for that patient.   iii. 
 
Monthly tally of named microorganisms in each positive CLABSI, secondary BSI and 
single positive blood culture (e.g. Streptococcus Group C, Klebsiella pneumonia) for their 
entire eligible ambulatory patient population (participating and non-participating patients).  
  
The CCLIP Coordinating Center at Johns Hopkins University will create a REDCap database, which is a 
secure, web-based application designed exclusively to support data capture for research. The Johns Hopkins 
University is a member of the REDCap consortium.  Participating institutional clinics will upload their monthly 
data directly into the REDcap database for this CCLIP Trial.  
  
For institutional clinics that happen to also be participating in the Children’s Hospital Association Pediatric 
Hematology/Oncology Quality Transformation Network effort, the required data for this CCLIP Trial are 
completely encompassed in the data those sites already submit monthly to the Children’s Hospital Association.  
For such institutional clinic teams, the CCLIP Coordinating Center at Johns Hopkins University has arranged 
the cooperation of the Children’s Hospital Association to, with institutional clinic approval, directly send to the 
CCLIP Coordinating Center.   
  
B. Annual Data for CCLIP Trial:  
In order to facilitate understanding the demographics of patients at the participating institutional clinics as well 
as adjusting for any significant variations in patient populations by clinic, the CCLIP Trial Coordinating Center 
will annually, in Year 1-3 of the trial, send out an electronic survey to participating institutional clinics to capture 
overall clinic patient demographics such as gender distribution, race distributions, age distributions, diagnosis 
group distributions, overall number of clinic visits per year, and overall number of unique patients seen in clinic 
per year.  In addition this survey will query clinics to report on other infection prevention strategies used in 
some or all of their ambulatory patients.  These other strategies will include items such as biopatches, 
antibiotic coated catheters, antibiotic/non-antibiotic locks in central lines, and chlorhexidine baths in ambulatory 
setting.  
  
C. Compliance Data:  
Assessing compliance of the patients/families/caregivers with the use of the 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded 
protective caps on central lines while patients are not hospitalized will be difficult but important to the CCLIP 
Trial.  Given the clinic staff will distribute and track volume of CUROS® caps dispensed to each family/patient, 
with the family/patient reporting back at each subsequent visit on the remaining volume of CUROS® caps, we 
will use this information as a qualitative view into home compliance via relative counts of CUROS® caps 
utilized by each patient.  The CCLIP Trial Coordinating Center will monthly query each participating institutional 
clinic for overall compliance assessment of their patient population and, if the clinic is able to quantify this, 
monthly percentage of patients determined to be poorly or non-compliant with use of the 70% isopropyl alcohol 
embedded protective caps on central lines while patients are not hospitalized.  
  

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D. Adverse Event Data:  
We do not anticipate any adverse events from the use of these 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective 
caps on central lines in the home setting.  However, the CCLIP Trial Coordinating Center will monthly query 
each participating institutional clinic for any reports of potential adverse events related to use of the 70% 
isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps on central lines in the home setting.    
  
7. 
Risks and Benefits:  
  
A. Potential Risks:   
 The CUROS® port protector is a single use, sterile device that contains 70% isopropyl alcohol and is intended 
to be used as a disinfectant for needleless luer activated valves such as central line access ports.  The Food 
and Drug Association (FDA) has classified the CUROS® device as a Class II device under product code LKB, 
subjected to premarket clearance under the 510(k) clearance process.  The FDA has reviewed and cleared the 
CUROS® device under 510(k) number K111992.  Examples of other Class II devices include powered 
wheelchairs, infusion pumps, and surgical drapes.    
As background, under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the FDA recognizes three Classes of medical 
devices, based on the level of control necessary to assure safety and effectiveness. These are Classes I, II, 
and III.  The FDA also permits two regulatory pathways for medical devices. The first and most common is the 
premarket notification 510(k) process, which applies to the CUROS® cap.  The 510(k) process requires that a 
new medical device demonstrate that it is "substantially equivalent" to a previously legally marketed device.  If 
this proof is achieved, the device can be cleared by the FDA for marketing.  Given the relative safety of Class 1 
and Class II devices compared to Class III devices, the 510(k) pathway rarely requires clinical trials. The 
second regulatory pathway, which applies to Class III new medical devices, is the Premarket Approval 
process, which is similar to the pathway for a new drug approval. Typically, clinical trials are required for Class 
III devices, as well as scientific review, to ensure the device's safety and effectiveness.  Class III devices are 
usually those that support or sustain human life, are of substantial importance in preventing impairment of 
human health, or present a potential, unreasonable risk of illness or injury.  
Given the relative safety of Class II devices, there are no special FDA controls required for the CUROS® 
device.  There are no mandatory standards imposed by the FDA for this device.  The Curos, like any legally 
marketed device, is required to meet the post market surveillance requirements established by the FDA. 3M 
Corporation has quality system procedures in place to meet these requirements.    
The CUROS® device to be used in this proposal is the exact same device that is currently sold throughout the 
USA.  The use of the CUROS® device in this evaluation is consistent with the intended use and labeling of the 
currently marketed device.  This evaluation does not involve any off label use, or any alteration of the legally 
marketed device.  In the CUROS® 510(k) review, the FDA intended use indications confirmed that test data for 
disinfection shows effect after 3 minutes of application of the CUROS® cap and this protection stays up to 7 
days (168 hours).  The FDA Indications statement states that the CUROS® port protector may be used in the 
home or healthcare facility for all age patients.    
B. Protection against Risks:   
One minimal risk, given the patients are children, is a choking hazard since the CUROS® cap is a relatively 
small device.  Given this, the CUROS® cap luer locks onto the central line hubs much like other central line 
devices used in the home and hospital setting.  The FDA has not restricted the indications for the CUROS® 
cap based on patient age.  
An additional risk is the identification of individual patients.  The data to be collected for this study for CLABSI, 
secondary BSI, and SPBC encompass only aggregate, institutional-level infection rates.  The data regarding 
microorganism speciation are not identifiable to individual patients. None of these data contain Protected 
Health Information, making the risk of individual patient identification negligible.  

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Given the relative safety of this device, as a FDA Class II device, additional adverse events are not anticipated.  
We will serially query the institutional clinic teams participating in this trial for any potential adverse events.  
  
The study team also recognizes that subjects may seek advice about issues beyond the scope of this study 
and will refer all non-study related health issues to the patient’s treating clinician.    
  
C. Potential Benefits:   
  
The potential benefits of this study to the subjects are decreases in the occurrence of central line infections, 
either CLABSI, secondary BSI, or SPBC.  Given the immunocompromised nature of these patients, any of 
these central line infections typically cause a hospitalization, antibiotic therapy, and possibly removal of the 
central line.  Preventing these infections therefore has substantial benefit to the patients, families and 
caregivers.  The benefits to the healthcare staff at the participating institutions is the ready identification of easy 
to use interventions that can prevent central line infections in their vulnerable pediatric patients.  
8.   Statistical Plan:  
 A. Sample size and power estimates:  
  
Expected Power/Sample Size:  Data from January 2013 from the 24 units already submitting data on 
ambulatory central line infections to the Children’s Hospital Association was used to simulate two 12-month 
periods, with a crossover, for a total study period of 24 months.  In the crossover design, each of the 24 units 
would receive both treatments (Control and Intervention), and the order that the units received the treatments 
was randomly assigned.   Monthly line-days were simulated from a uniform distribution on the range 20% lower 
and 20% greater than those reported in January 2013.  The monthly number of infections were sampled from a 
Poisson distribution assuming the following: a) the CLABSI rate for the Control treatment would be the same 
as the observed rate in January 2013, b) the Intervention treatment would decrease the rate by 25, 35 or 50%, 
and c) that units receiving the Intervention treatment first would have infection rates on this treatment that were 
5% lower than the corresponding rates among units that received this treatment second (cross-over effect) and 
d) each unit has a unit-specific effect (random intercept assumed to follow a normal distribution with mean 0 
and standard deviation 0.6) which induces an exchangeable correlation structure over time.  For each 
simulated study, we fit a generalized linear mixed Poisson regression model that included an indicator for 
treatment period, order of treatment, an offset for line-days and random intercept for unit and robust variance 
estimate. The power was estimated to be the proportion of simulated studies where the treatment effect was 
significant at the alpha = 0.05 level.  We considered three cases where the full sample of 24 units would 
participate and then also assumed a 75% and 50% participation rate.  Table 2 below displays the estimate 
power to detect the specified treatment effect (a relative reduction in CLABSI rate comparing Control to 
Intervention treatment after adjusting for order).  
Table 2: Power to Detect CLABSI Rate Decreases in 24 Month Crossover Design Clinical Trial  
Participation  
Rate by 24 
Teams  
 
Treatment Effect  
 
25% Reduction  
35% Reduction  
50% Reduction  
100%  
0.78  
0.91  
0.92  
75%  
0.66  
0.82  
0.87  
50%  
0.56  
0.72  
0.79  
  

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Table 3 below displays the estimate power to detect the specified treatment effect (a relative reduction in the 
rate of any infection including CLABSI + secondary BSI + SPBC comparing Control to Intervention treatment 
after adjusting for order).  
Table 3: Power to Detect Positive Blood Culture Rate (CLABSI + BSI + SPBC) Decreases in 24 Month 
Crossover Design Clinical Trial  
Participation  
Rate by 24 
Teams  
 
Treatment Effect  
 
25% Reduction  
35% Reduction  
50% Reduction  
100%  
0.92  
0.98  
0.98  
75%  
0.84  
0.93  
0.96  
50%  
0.72  
0.85  
0.90  
  
Based on these simulations and the 3 recent studies showing 50-80% decreases in CLABSI rates with use of 
70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps for central lines, this cluster-randomized, 24 month cross 
over design, clinical trial is sufficiently powered to detect outcomes of interest for both the Primary Hypothesis 
and the first Secondary Hypothesis (decrease in rate of all positive blood cultures).  
Given the current lack of published data relative to second Secondary Hypothesis (reduction in Gram Positive 
single positive blood cultures with common commensal microorganisms), this hypothesis is exploratory in 
nature and does not have power calculations underlying it.  Minimal data exist on the distribution of organism 
causing CLABSI, secondary BSI and SPBC in ambulatory patients with chronic central lines. Based on data 
from previous studies in adults, we estimate a significant reduction in the proportion of CLABSI, secondary BSI 
and SPBC in ambulatory patients with chronic central lines. We anticipated seeing an increase in the 
proportion of CLABSI, secondary BSI and SPBC caused by Gram-negative organisms, because the overall 
numbers of events will decrease causing a perceived increase in the proportion, but no change in rate.   
B. Statistical analysis plan:  
  
The statistical analysis of CCLIP Trial data will be handled by the CCLIP Trial Coordinating Center at Johns 
Hopkins University in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Biostatistical 
Consulting Center.  The analysis plan includes:  
  
Exploratory analyses:  Descriptive statistics at the unit level will be calculated to summarize rates of 
infections (CLABSI and all infections) over time when the unit receives both the control and treatment arm.  
Scatterplots and line plots will be used to describe the trends in infection rates during the course of the study 
separately by treatment arm.  In case missing data occurs in our analysis we will explore the relationship 
between missing data and the unit’s observed data in months prior and our analysis methods will be valid 
under the assumptions that the missing data are generated completely at random or depend on the prior 
observed rates (missing at random). Our data integrity efforts and frequent contacts with this team will work to 
minimize any instances of missing data.  
  
Multivariate analyses:  Generalized linear mixed Poisson regression models will be used to test for a 
treatment effect.  Specifically, the monthly count of CLABSI (Primary Hypothesis) or the monthly count of all 
positive blood cultures (first Secondary Hypothesis) will be modeled as a function of the dichotomous treatment 
assignment and an indicator for when the treatment arm was received (first or second 12 month period) with 
inclusion of an offset representing the monthly number of central line days and a random intercept for unit to 
account for the correlation of monthly rates of infections over time within the same unit.  The models rely on 

19  
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two key assumptions: i) the infection rates follow a Poisson distribution where the mean rate is the same as the 
variance in the rate and ii) the correlation of the rates within a unit over time is exchangeable.  These 
assumptions will be assessed via descriptive analyses and by adding a robust variance estimate clustering on 
the unit.  
  
Relative to the second Secondary Hypothesis (reduction in blood cultures with Gram Positive microorganisms),  
the analysis would be a comparison of proportions of Gram positive organisms causing CLABSI, secondary 
BSI and SPBC between the control and intervention study arms. Given that Gram positive organisms are the 
most common organisms causing CLABSI and SPBC in children, achieving a reduction in Gram positive 
organisms would be an important additional finding of this clinical trial  
  
9. Payments and Remuneration:   
  
To encourage participation and support the added work needed to accomplish this clinical trial, we have 
included an annual payment to each participating institution of $5,000.  These funds will be used by the sites to 
support the needed staff time for education of patients/caregivers, developing educational materials, 
distributing supplies to each participating family, and auditing family compliance with intervention.  
Participating institutional clinic teams and the patients enrolled at that clinic will also receive a free supply of the 
CUROS brand of 70% isopropyl alcohol embedded protective caps for central lines during the 12 months their 
institution is active in the Intervention Arm of this trial.  
10.  Costs  
There are no direct costs to the patient in this study.  All study related supplies will be provided.  
  
11.  References:  
                                                             
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