Bacterial adhesion on hydrophilic heparinized catheters, with compared with adhesion on silicone catheters, in...

To study the inhibitory effects on bacterial adhesion of a newly devised, hydrophilic heparinized catheter to be used in patients with malignant obstructive jaundice, a randomized controlled study of indwelling endoprostheses was performed, using implantable port-connected heparinized catheters (n = 25) and silicone catheters (n = 21). Catheters withdrawn from patients were cultured for bacteria and examined by electron microscopy for the presence of adherent organisms. In vitro examination of the two type of catheters exposed to suspensions of Eschericia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was performed using electron microscopy and a luminometer. The formation of a biofilm coated with glycocalyces was found in silicone catheters, but not in the heparinized catheters. In vitro experiments demonstrated little bacterial adhesion to the heparinized surface, but significant formation of biofilm on the silicone surface. Anionically charged heparinized catheters have inhibitory effects on bacterial adhesion, and the surface charge of the catheter may be a factor in inhibiting this adhesion.