title: [Frequency of colonization and isolated bacteria from the tip of the epidural catheter implanted for postoperative analgesia].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The increased use of epidural analgesia with catheter leads to the need to demonstrate the safety of this method and know the incidence of catheter colonization, inserted postoperatively for epidural analgesia, and the bacteria responsible for this colonization.
  
  
  METHODS
  From November 2011 to April 2012, patients electively operated and maintained under epidural catheter for postoperative analgesia were evaluated. The catheter tip was collected for semiquantitative and qualitative microbiological analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 68 cultured catheters, six tips (8.8%) had positive cultures. No patient had superficial or deep infection. The mean duration of catheter use was 43.45hours (18-118) (p=0.0894). The type of surgery (contaminated or uncontaminated), physical status of patients, and surgical time showed no relation with the colonization of catheters. Microorganisms isolated from the catheter tip were Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Sphingomonas paucimobilis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Postoperative epidural catheter analgesia, under this study conditions, was found to be low risk for bacterial colonization in patients at surgical wards.
authors.affiliation: Ciências da Saúde (CS), Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, Brasil. Electronic address: deboramdiogo@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Débora Miranda Diogo
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Stabille
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação, Ciências da Saúde (CS), Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, Brasil; Colégio Brasileiro de Cirurgiões, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil; Colégio Brasileiro de Cirurgia Digestiva, São Paulo, SP, Brasil; Departamento de Cirurgia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Augusto Diogo
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Filho
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Anestesiologia, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Beatriz Lemos da Silva
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Mandim
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Matemática da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Lúcio Borges de
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.affiliation: Ciências da Saúde (CS), Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Priscila Miranda Diogo
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Mesquita
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação, Ciências da Saúde (CS), Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, Brasil; Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Miguel Tanús
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Jorge
keywords: Anestesia epidural; Bacteria; Bactérias; Epidural anesthesia; Infection; Infecção