Colonization of intravascular monitoring devices.

This randomized prospective study of all invasive catheters inserted in our ICU tested the hypothesis that daily dressing changes would reduce the 25% infection rate associated with these catheters. Significant growth was noted in eight (7%) of 133 vs. nine (6.7%) of 135 skin cultures from patients whose dressings and infusion tubings were changed at 24 vs. 72 h, respectively. Catheter tip cultures were positive in six (5.9%) of 102 vs. eight (7.5%) of 107 for the 24- and 72-h groups, respectively. Paradoxically, blood cultures were positive in three (6.7%) of 45 vs. 12 (23.1%) of 52 from the 24- and 72-h groups, respectively (p less than .03). However, there was no correlation between the positive blood cultures and the organisms cultured from the catheter tips.