EFFICACY OF SUBCUTANEOUS SILVER-IMPREGNATED CUFFS IN PREVENTING CENTRAL VENOUS CATHETER INFECTIONS

Study objectives: To determine the efficacy of an attachable subcutane ous silver-impregnated cuff in preventing local central venous cathete r (CVC)-related infection and catheter-related sepsis in critically il l surgical patients, Design: A prospective analysis of the use of an a ttachable subcutaneous silver-impregnated cuff compared with a control group in two consecutive time periods, Setting: Two surgical ICUs at The Queen's Medical Center at the University of Hawaii Surgical Reside ncy Program, Honolulu, Patients: All surgical ICU patients requiring i nsertion of central catheters, Interventions: None. Measurement and ma in result: Two hundred thirty-five CVCs in 154 patients were prospecti vely evaluated. Silver-impregnated cuffs were used in the first 100 ca theters, but none were used in the remaining 135 catheters, The incide nce of catheter-related infection in both groups was 15% and 20%, resp ectively, not statistically significant. Catheter-related sepsis was 3 % in both groups. Conclusions: The use of an attachable subcutaneous s ilver-impregnated cuff failed to decrease the incidence of CVC-related infection and sepsis.