[Epidemiology of catheter-related infections in intensive care unit]

Catheter-related infections remain an important cause of nosocomial infection in the ICU. They include colonization of the device, exit-site infection and catheter-related bloodstream infection with or without bacteraemia. Data from clinical studies and surveillance networks should be compared cautiously due to important methodological differences and wide variations of device-utilization ratio between units or countries. In France, two regional networks (C-CLIN Paris-Nord and C-CLIN Sud-Est) produced comparable and reproducible results. Colonization represents five-six cases per 1000 catheter-days and bacteraemia represents one case per 1000 catheter-days. Incidence rates from North American studies are usually four to five times higher. Numerous risk factors have been identified. Some of them could be used to stratify patients according to risk of catheter-related infection and to allow more valid comparison between ICU's performances. Participation of French ICUs to the recent national surveillance networks (REA RAISIN and REACAT RAISIN) should be encouraged.