Evaluation of infections associated with central venous catheters in ICU

Objective: Central venous catheter-related infections lead to an increase in widespread antibiotic use, prolonged hospital stays, increased costs, as well as morbidity and mortality. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the infections associated with central venous catheters used in our intensive care unit (ICU) and identify the possible contributing factors. Methods: The hospital records of patients aged 18 and above who were admitted to ICU and had central venous catheters (femoral, jugular, and subclavian catheters) were retrospectively evaluated. Patients’ demographic data and also reason for admission, APACHE II score, duration of ICU stay, and 28-day mortality were recorded. Additionally, data on the time of catheter insertion, catheter site, catheter type, administration of blood and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) through the catheter, presence of catheter-related infection, identified pathogens, time of infection development after catheter insertion, and concurrent blood culture results were recorded. Results: A total of 169 patients were included in the study, of whom 99 (58.6%) were male and 70 (41.4%) were female. The catheters were located in the femoral region in 56 (33.1%) cases, jugular region in 99 (58.6%) cases, and subclavian region in 14 (8.3%) cases. There was no significant difference in the development of catheter infection based on the site of application (p=0.929). The rates of infection were significantly higher in catheters used for TPN and blood transfusion (p=0.002 and p=0.005, respectively). The average duration of intensive care stay was significantly higher in patients who developed catheter infections. Conclusion: Catheter-related bacteremia is an important risk factor for morbidity and mortality, especially in critically ill patients. In our study, no significant differences were found in the rates of catheter-related infection based on the application sites. We observed that the use of TPN, blood transfusion, and longer catheter duration posed risks for infection.