RISK FACTORS FOR CATHETER COLONIZATION IN HIGH-RISK INFANTS WITH PERCUTANEOUS CENTRAL VENOUS CATHETERS (INFANTS).
Contributors: University Of Illinois At Chicago, Health Sciences Center.
Published: 1991
Number of pages: 304
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Immunology.
Description: The purpose of this study was to identify demographic, clinical, and environmental factors that pose the greatest risk for catheter colonization in a cohort of high risk infants with percutaneous central venous catheters (PCVCs). A data collection tool, consisting of 31 risk factors, was developed to measure colonization risk.

Data on the 32 factors were collected for 402 PCVC stays in 281 sick term and preterm infants over a two year period. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify high- and moderate-risk indicators of PCVC colonization.

Findings indicated that risk of PCVC colonization was 1.85 (confidence interval: 1.69-2.01) times greater with PCVC stay over two weeks, and colonization risk significantly increased with each subsequent week of PCVC stay. The proportion of total colonization directly attributable to PCVC stay greater than two weeks was 19.7%. Ten of the 32 factors were identified as risk indicators of PCVC colonization: four were found to be high risk indicators and six were found to be moderate risk indicators of colonization in infants with PCVCs. High risk indicators of colonization included length of PCVC stay beyond two weeks, blood sampling through a UAC, therapy with dexamethasone, and positive blood cultures during PCVC stay. Moderate risk indicators included the presence of an umbilical catheter, positive skin or wound cultures, an ileostomy, necrotizing enterocolitis, positive gastrointestinal or urine cultures, and reduced gestational age. These findings provide a research foundation for the development of maintenance care protocols for PCVCs in the clinical setting.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-12, Section: B, page: 6315.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER, 1991.

School code: 0806.