CHICAGO - For critically ill patients in intensive care units, use of a sponge containing the antimicrobial agent chlorhexidine gluconate as part of the dressing for catheters reduced the risk of major catheter-related infections, according to a study in the March 25 issue of JAMA. The researchers also found that reducing the frequency of changing unsoiled dressings from every three days to seven days appears to be safe.

The wound dressing used the in the research was the BioPatch® by Ethicon Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company.

Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) usually require insertion of central venous catheters (CVCs). In the United States, approximately 80,000 CVC-related bloodstream infections are estimated to occur each year in ICU patients. The rate of death from CVC-related bloodstream infections ranges from 0 percent to 11.5 percent, and the additional ICU length of stay resulting from these infections is estimated at 9 to 12 days. "Consequently, efforts are required to decrease the incidence of these infections," the authors write.

"[Without the sponge] even after an hour the skin is not sterile and organisms regrow to the same levels," said Dr. William Jarvis, MD, Emeritus Professor, Emory University School of Medicine. "The advantage of the [antimicrobial] impregnated sponge is it sits into the insertion bundle and maintenance bundle," he told DOTmed News. "It releases [an anti-infective compound] down the track where the catheter is inserted to address organisms dragged with the catheter as well as keeping organisms down at the skin site." He noted that the BioPatch also reduces the frequency with which nurses have to change the dressings.

Most organisms responsible for CVC-related bloodstream infections originate from the insertion sites of short-term CVCs. Use of a chlorhexidine gluconate-impregnated sponge (CHGIS) as part of the dressing over the skin at the site of insertion of the intravascular catheter may reduce catheter-related infections (CRIs). It is also not certain whether changing catheter dressings every 3 days may be more frequent than necessary, according to background information in the article.

Jean-Francois Timsit, M.D., Ph.D., of University Joseph Fourier, Albert Bonniot Institute, Grenoble, France, and colleagues evaluated the effects of using CHGIS dressings and increasing the time between dressing changes in adult ICU patients. The randomized controlled trial included 1,636 patients from seven intensive care units in three university and two general hospitals in France, who were expected to require an arterial catheter, central-vein catheter, or both, inserted for 48 hours or longer. The median (midpoint) duration of catheter insertion was 6 days. A chlorhexidine gluconate-impregnated sponge or standard dressing (control) was used for the patients. The scheduled change of unsoiled adherent dressings was every 3 or 7 days, with immediate change of any soiled or leaking dressings.

Use of CHGIS dressings decreased the rates of major CRIs (catheter-related clinical sepsis without bloodstream infection or catheter-related bloodstream infection) by 61 percent (10/1,953 [0.5 percent] vs.. 19/1,825 [1.1 percent]). Use of CHGIS dressings was estimated to prevent 1 major CRI for every 117 catheters left in place for an average duration of 10 days.

Severe CHGIS-associated contact dermatitis occurred in 8 patients (5.3 per 1,000 catheters).

The rate of catheter colonization (the presence of bacteria on the catheter at the time of removal) was 7.8 percent in the 3-day group and 8.6 percent in the 7-day group, an average absolute difference of 0.8 percent. The median number of dressing changes per catheter was 4 in the 3-day group and 3 in the 7-day group.

"... the interval between dressing changes can be safely extended to more than 3 days but not exceeding 7 days, provided the dressings are closely monitored and changed immediately should separation or soiling be detected," the authors write.

(JAMA. 2009;301[12]:1231-1241.)

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