Epidemiologic analysis of central vein catheter infection in burn patients

Currently, there are no well-defined guidelines or criteria for catheter-site care in burn patients, and there is little information about the epidemiology of central vein catheter (CVC) infection in such patients. This study aimed at addressing the epidemiological aspect of CVC infection in a sample of Iranian burn patients admitted to the largest referral burn center in Iran, Motahari Burn Center.

A total of 191 burn patients were eligible for the study. Catheter related blood stream infection (CRBSI) was diagnosed according to suspected line infection, sepsis or blood culture growing bacteria, which could not have been associated with another site.

Of the 191 patients in this study, 45 males (23.68%) and 19 females (10%) had positive blood culture, confirming CV line infection. Patients who were burned by gas, gasoline ignition or burning Kerosene had the highest incidence of CV line infection. In contrast, patients burned by alcohol, pitch or thinner had the lower rate of CV line infection. Incidence of CV line infection was higher in patients with delay in presentation to the burn center (55.2%) when compared to those who presented without delay (22.8%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most frequent colonizer of the wound culture (52.4%), the dominant strain of the first catheter tip culture (35%) and the dominant strain of the same day blood samples (53.8%). The mortality rate in patients diagnosed with CRBI was 21.9%.

One of the important factors related to CV line infection is delay inpresentation to the burn center. The rate of CV line infection was 20.64 in catheter days.