REMOVAL OF INTACT BIOFILMS FROM IMPLANTED VENOUS ACCESS DEVICES

Most reports have been limited to morphological descriptions of fragme nts of biofilm scraped or sonicated from catheter walls. This report d escribes the method of removal and appearance of intact biofilms from venous access devices (VAD) catheters. At explantation, 1-cm sections were harvested from the proximal portion of each catheter and immediat ely immersed in fixative. Following dehydration, the cores were remove d by gentle agitation in propylene oxide prior to preparation for tran smission and scanning electron microscopy. Irrespective of wall or cor e thickness, the biofilm was captured intact. The preservation of fibr in, platelets, erythrocytes, leucocytes and bacteria was excellent. In tact core removal, where spatial relationships are retained, may impro ve our understanding regarding the evolution of biofilms in VAD and th ereby help in the prevention and management of biofilm-mediated bacter aemia.