Evaluation of an antiseptic triple-lumen catheter in an intensive care unit.

Abstract

To evaluate a decrease in catheter-related bloodstream infection rate in patients with antiseptic triple-lumen catheters in an intensive care unit. Retrospective review of surveillance records, patient medical records, laboratory and microbiological reports, and antibiotic administration records. Patients admitted to the intensive care unit with triple-lumen catheters. A subset of one entry per patient was extracted from 2 yrs of primary bloodstream infection surveillance data. Data collection included risk factors, laboratory and microbiological data, and insertion sites and dates of all intravascular catheters present during triple-lumen catheterization. The catheter-related bloodstream infection rate was 5.4 and 11.3 per 1000 catheter days in antiseptic and nonantiseptic triple-lumen catheter groups, respectively (p = .06). By multivariate analysis using a Cox Proportional Hazards Model, the antiseptic triple-lumen catheters were associated with a significant reduction in catheter-related bloodstream infection (p = .03). Model expansion to include intrajugular site was significant by a likelihood ratio test [2(log likelihood diff) = 4.26 P<.05 chi2(1)] The use of antiseptic triple-lumen catheters may substantially reduce catheter-related bloodstream infections in an intensive care population and may be subsequently associated with a decrease in length of stay.