title: Impact of catheter antimicrobial coating on species-specific risk of catheter colonization: a meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antimicrobial catheters have been utilized to reduce risk of catheter colonization and infection. We aimed to determine if there is a greater than expected risk of microorganism-specific colonization associated with the use of antimicrobial central venous catheters (CVCs).
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a meta-analysis of 21 randomized, controlled trials comparing the incidence of specific bacterial and fungal species colonizing antimicrobial CVCs and standard CVCs in hospitalized patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of all colonized minocycline-rifampin CVCs found to harbor Candida species was greater than the proportion of all colonized standard CVCs found to have Candida. In comparison, the proportion of colonized chlorhexidine-silver sulfadiazine CVCs specifically colonized with Acinetobacter species or diphtheroids was less than the proportion of similarly colonized standard CVCs. No such differences were found with CVCs colonized with staphylococci.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Commercially-available antimicrobial CVCs in clinical use may become colonized with distinct microbial flora probably related to their antimicrobial spectrum of activity. Some of these antimicrobial CVCs may therefore have limited additional benefit or more obvious advantages compared to standard CVCs for specific microbial pathogens. The choice of an antimicrobial CVC may be influenced by a number of clinical factors, including a previous history of colonization or infection with Acinetobacter, diphtheroids, or Candida species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Brown, USA. lmermel@lifespan.org.
authors.forename: Aleksey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Novikov
authors.forename: Manuel Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Leonard A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Mermel
authors.forename: Anna L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: Tom S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nightingale