PREVENTION OF INFECTION RELATED TO INTRAV ASCULAR CATHETERS - A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Objective: The literature on catheter-related infections was reviewed to discuss appropriate strategies for the prevention of infections rel ated to intravenous catheters. Data Sources and Selection Criteria: Th e data bases Medline, Biosis and Embase (publication years 1988 to Jun e 1993) were used to retrieve all articles with the key words catheter and infection. Papers covering infections related to intravenous cath eters were included. Furthermore, landmark articles from previous year s were selected. Only a selected number of articles was listed in the References. Results: Most authors stress the importance of strict asep tic precautions in the management of intravenous lines and the need fo r dedicated, specialized care of intravascular devices. Quantitative c ulture of catheter segments and molecular subtyping of microorganisms provide new insights into the pathogenesis and diagnosis of catheter-r elated infections and enable the evaluation of preventive measures. Te chnological advances in manufacturing catheter polymers with antiinfec tive properties will facilitate a reduction in the incidence of cathet er-related infections to a greater extent than with any other methods used to date. Conclusion: Prevention of catheter-related infections is based on the care of these devices according to strict hygienic stand ards. In the near future, modification of plastic polymers with antiin fective properties will allow for a further reduction in these infecti ons.