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Background: In an effort to avoid infections that can lead to the premature removal of indwelling central venous catheters (CVCs), the surgical technique and host factors present in pediatric recipients of permanent CVCs were reviewed., Study Design: All patients receiving CVCs over a 17-month period were identified. Those patients with fever and positive blood cultures drawn through the CVC within 45 days of line placement were labeled as having early infection. A case-control design was used to select two control patients for each infected patient. Charts from both the infection and control groups were reviewed for several factors present at the time of CVC placement, including fever, neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count [ANC] < 500 and ANC < 1,000), use of perioperative antibiotics, diagnosis, CVC site, and type of CVC. Chi-square test with Yates correction was used to compare the groups. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were derived., Results: Among the 473 CVCs placed, early infections developed in 53 patients (12%). The control group consisted of 106 patients. Neutropenia was present in 16 of 53 infected patients versus 8 of 106 controls (p = 0.004, OR = 5.30). Perioperative antibiotics were given to 25 of 53 infected patients versus 72 of 106 controls (p = 0.02, OR = 0.42). Fever was present in 12 of 53 infected patients versus 14 of 106 controls (p = 0.19, OR = 1.92). Factors that were equally prevalent between the groups and that did not appear to influence the CVC infection rate included a diagnosis of malignancy, CVC type, and site of placement. Of the 53 infected catheters, 16 (30%) could not be cleared of infection and were removed., Conclusions: This study documents that neutropenia and failure to administer prophylactic antibiotics are risk factors for the development of early CVC infection in pediatric patients. To avoid early infection and possible premature CVC removal, we recommend that placement of permanent CVCs be postponed until the ANC is > 1,000. Perioperative antibiotics should be given. A trend toward higher infection rates was seen in patients with preoperative fever.

Background/purpose: Chronic vascular access catheters have become an important adjunct to the treatment of children with complex medical diseases, particularly malignancy. One of the major complications of chronic venous access devices is bacterial infection of the catheter site and bloodstream. Infusion of systemic antibiotics directly into the catheter has been the standard initial therapy with failure leading to catheter removal and replacement. It has been suggested by a number of investigators that the addition of urokinase as a thrombolytic agent to lyse any accumulated thrombus or fibrin would increase the successful catheter clearance by antibiotics. This study was designed as a prospective, randomized trial to compare treatment of children with positive catheter blood cultures with either antibiotics alone or in combination with urokinase 5,000 U boluses 12 and 24 hours after study entry., Methods: A total of 63 patients were entered in the study. Thirty-three received antibiotics and urokinase, and 30 received antibiotics alone., Results: A total of 45 catheters (71%) were cleared of infection and salvaged. Treatment failures leading to catheter removal occurred in 9 of 33 in the experimental group and 9 of 30 in the control population (no significant difference)., Conclusions: Urokinase could not be shown to act as an adjuvant in the clearance of infection from chronic central venous access catheters that had no evidence of clot or thrombus. This study required the performance of a dye study and excluded any patient with a known thrombus. This conclusion must therefore be limited to patients with no evidence of a clot or fibrin sheath.