Assessment of Peripheral Venous Catheters as Infection Risk Factor in Intensive Care Unit

• Main Authors: Gökhan AYGÜN, Kadriye KARAŞAHİN, Yalım DİKMEN, Hatice YAŞAR, Asuman SIDAN, Kenan MİDİLLİ, Günay CAN, Kemal ALTAŞ
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bilimsel Tip Yayinevi 2004-03-01
• Series: Flora Infeksiyon Hastalıkları ve Klinik Mikrobiyoloji Dergisi
• Subjects: Venous catheterization; Peripheral; Focal infection; Risk factors
• Online Access: http://www.floradergisi.org/getFileContent.aspx?op=REDPDF&file_name=2004-9-1-043-046.pdf

In the present study, we aimed to determine peripheral venous catheter (PVC) infection/colonization rates, the relationships between PVC applications and local infection/inflammation signs and also relationships between local and systemic infections in intensive care unit (ICU). During a period of six months PVC applicated patients were observed and noted carefully. All PVCs were cultured by using quantitative method and patients were assessed clinically with particular attention. Patients/catheters having peripheral infection/inflammation signs were matched with ones lacking those signs by using chi-square method. During the study, 131 patients were evaluated by taking totally 147 PVC specimens; in 14 (9.5%) of them quantitative culture method gave positive results whereas 37 (25.1%) of PVC applicated patients had local signs of infection/inflammation. Age, gender and site of PVC application didn’t affect local signs’ intensity whereas post-operative admission in ICU did reduce significantly (p< 0.001) local infection/inflammation rates. Increasing the duration of PVC application (p< 0.05), transfusion of blood products and potassium supplementation (p< 0.001) were regarded as the risk factors for local infection/inflammation signs. In conclusion, PVCs should be watched closely as they may cause colonisation, local infection/inflammation and relatively less common but important systemic infections.