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Catheter Sepsis From Infusate Contamination
Author(s) -
Bozzetti Federico,
Bonfanti Giuliano,
Regalia Enrico,
Calligaris Laura,
Cozzaglio Luca
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
nutrition in clinical practice
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.725
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1941-2452
pISSN - 0884-5336
DOI - 10.1177/0115426590005004156
Subject(s) - medicine , staphylococcus epidermidis , sepsis , asepsis , aseptic processing , contamination , septic shock , catheter , intensive care medicine , surgery , staphylococcus aureus , bacteria , ecology , biology , genetics
Ten patients harboring an indwelling CVC with contamination of the infusate are described. Six patients developed sepsis, which was resolved in all patients except one who died from misdiagnosed septic shock. The majority of microorganisms responsible for the infusate contamination were opportunistic pathogens and in five cases were S. epidermidis. There was no apparent correlation between contamination rate of the infusate and subsequent sepsis of the patients. Reasons for the high prevalence of Staphylococcus epidermidis include ubiquitous diffusion of this microorganism, marked affinity for prosthetic devices, especially by the slime-producing strains, and increased susceptibility of debilitated cancer patients to infection. Recognition that the possibility exists for infusate contamination during compounding should alert all members of the Nutritional Support Team to use aseptic technique when preparing and handling the intravenous solutions. Infusate-related sepsis is a potentially lethal but preventable event.