[Prospective study of central venous catheter-related sepsis in critically ill patients]

To evaluate the incidence of central venous catheter-related sepsis (CRS) in critically ill patients, we performed a prospective study of the central venous catheters (CVCs) in ICU of the Peking Union Medical College Hospital from Jan. 1995 to March 1996. Of 151 CVCs, 13 (8.6%) had CRS, with an incidence of 16.7 episodes per 1000 catheter-days. Presence of infectious focus at catheterization, catheter insertion site, duration of catheterization, and the decrease of body temperature after catheter removal correlated with definite CRS, while difficulty of insertion, body temperature at catheter removal, as well as the decrease of body temperature after catheter removal correlated well with no CRS. The study showed that CRS is a serious problem in critically ill patients. Careful manipulation of CVCs is a major determinant in reducing the incidence of CRS.