[Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with central venous catheter colonized by yeasts]

Among others complications due central venous catheters (CVCs), the blood infection (BI) deserves particular attention. The purposes of this study were to analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of adult patients using CVC; to know the yeast colonization index; and to link it to risk factors for BI. Yeasts were investigated in 156 CVCs removed from 91 patients of the Regional University Hospital of Maringá from February to August, 2008. Yeast colonization was detected in 10.89% of the catheters, which were removed from 15 patients, three of them had a fatal hospital yeast infection due to catheter. There was a preponderance of male subjects; median age was 66 years and the mean hospitalization time was 15 days, greater than that of the non-colonized (p = 0.003). The mortality rate was significantly greater in this group than among those with non-colonized catheters (p = 0.01). Total parenteral nutrition and hemodialysis were the risk factors significantly more frequent in this group (p = 0.002 and 0.001, respectively). The most frequently found yeast was Candida parapsilosis. Among the colonized catheters those of double-lumen for infusion predominated and the site of insertion was the right subclavian vein. In conclusion the colonization by yeasts rate of CVC was 10.89% and 20% of them resulted in infection. These results add to higher mortality in patients who CVC was colonized by yeasts deserve attention considering the increasing of the hospital fungal infections.