title: The microbiological and clinical outcome of guide wire exchanged versus newly inserted antimicrobial surface treated central venous catheters.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The management of suspected central venous catheter (CVC)-related sepsis by guide wire exchange (GWX) is not recommended. However, GWX for new antimicrobial surface treated (AST) triple lumen CVCs has never been studied. We aimed to compare the microbiological outcome of triple lumen AST CVCs inserted by GWX (GWX-CVCs) with newly inserted triple lumen AST CVCs (NI-CVCs).
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied a cohort of 145 consecutive patients with GWX-CVCs and contemporaneous site-matched control cohort of 163 patients with NI-CVCs in a tertiary intensive care unit (ICU).
  
  
  RESULTS
  GWX-CVC and NI-CVC patients were similar for mean age (58.7 vs. 62.2 years), gender (88 (60.7%) vs. 98 (60.5%) male) and illness severity on admission (mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) III: 71.3 vs. 72.2). However, GWX patients had longer median ICU lengths of stay (12.2 vs. 4.4 days; P < 0.001) and median hospital lengths of stay (30.7 vs. 18.0 days; P < 0.001). There was no significant difference with regard to the number of CVC tips with bacterial or fungal pathogen colonization among GWX-CVCs vs. NI-CVCs (5 (2.5%) vs. 6 (7.4%); P = 0.90). Catheter-associated blood stream infection (CA-BSI) occurred in 2 (1.4%) GWX patients compared with 3 (1.8%) NI-CVC patients (P = 0.75). There was no significant difference in hospital mortality (35 (24.1%) vs. 48 (29.4%); P = 0.29).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GWX-CVCs and NI-CVCs had similar rates of tip colonization at removal, CA-BSI and mortality. If the CVC removed by GWX is colonized, a new CVC must then be inserted at another site. In selected ICU patients at higher central vein puncture risk receiving AST CVCs GWX may be an acceptable initial approach to line insertion.
authors.forename: Nisha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Parbat
authors.forename: Norelle
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sherry
authors.forename: Rinaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bellomo
authors.forename: Antoine G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Neil J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Glassford
authors.forename: Paul D R
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bailey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D055499:Catheter-Related Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D062905:Central Venous Catheters / Q000382:microbiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents