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Do antibiotics administered at the time of central venous catheter removal interfere with the evaluation of colonization?

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Abstract

Objective

Catheter colonization is commonly used as an end point in studies on central venous catheter (CVC) infections. This study aimed at comparing the rates of catheter colonization in patients according to the administration of antibiotics at removal.

Design

Prospective study over a 5-year period. All patients with a CVC removed without suspicion of CVC infection were included.

Setting

An adult medical/surgical intensive care unit at a university teaching hospital.

Patients

A total of 472 patients with CVC inserted for a mean CVC duration of 6.0 ± 3.7 days were included.

Methods

Antibiotics at removal was defined as antibiotics administered within 48 h before CVC removal, and CVC colonization as catheter tip culture yielding ≥ 103 colony-forming units per milliliter.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and results

Of 472 patients, 302 (64%) were receiving antibiotics at removal. The number of CVC colonizations per number of CVCs inserted was 4.7% (22 of 472) and the number of CVC colonizations per 1000 CVC days was 8.0. Administration of antibiotics at removal was associated with a lower risk of CVC colonization. Irrespective of CVC duration, CVC colonization rate differed between patients with or without antibiotics at removal (Kaplan–Meier test, p = 0.04).

Conclusions

The proportion of patients with antibiotics at time of removal should be taken into account when interpreting the results of surveys and trials using the quantitative CVC tip culture to define CVC colonization as an end point.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank J. Watts for his help in preparing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculté de Médecine, Université Clermont, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, Cedex 1, France

    Bertrand Souweine & Patrice Deteix

  2. Service de néphrologie et réanimation médicale, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Hôpital G. Montpied, 63003, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Anne Elisabeth Heng, Fabrice Thiollière & Nicole Gazuy

  3. Service d’Hygiène hospitalière, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Hôpital G. Montpied, 63003, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Claire Aumeran & Ousmane Traoré

Authors
  1. Bertrand Souweine
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  2. Anne Elisabeth Heng
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  3. Claire Aumeran
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  4. Fabrice Thiollière
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  5. Nicole Gazuy
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  6. Patrice Deteix
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  7. Ousmane Traoré
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bertrand Souweine.

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Souweine, B., Heng, A.E., Aumeran, C. et al. Do antibiotics administered at the time of central venous catheter removal interfere with the evaluation of colonization?. Intensive Care Med 34, 286–291 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-007-0849-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-007-0849-y

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