Abstract
Catheter related blood stream infection is an ever present hazard for those patients requiring venous access and particularly for those requiring long term medication. The implementation of more rigorous care bundles and greater adherence to aseptic techniques have yielded substantial reductions in infection rates but the latter is still far from acceptable and continues to place a heavy burden on patients and healthcare providers. While advances in engineering design and the arrival of functional materials hold considerable promise for the development of a new generation of catheters, many challenges remain. The aim of this review is to identify the issues that presently impact catheter performance and provide a critical evaluation of the design considerations that are emerging in the pursuit of these new catheter systems.
Highlights
Intravascular catheters are ubiquitous in contemporary care and it has been estimated that 30–80%of hospital patients will have a peripheral venous catheter (PVC) in place at some point during their stay [1,2,3]
Various antimicrobial peptides [100,108,113,114,115], guanidine derivatives [103,104], quaternary ammonium compounds [96,98], nitric oxide precursors [105,106,116,117], silver [118,119,120] and a host of other small molecules/metal ions or nanoparticles [107,110,118,121,122,123,124] with possible biocidal activity have all been investigated as potential modifiers for use in catheters and, while these invariably impact bacterial colonisation, they have yet to make the leap to commercial exploitation and/or substantive clinical trials
For a condition that seems almost extraneous, they have a considerable impact on patient quality of life, up to the point of mortality, and pose a serious and undue economic burden on patients and health services
Summary
Intravascular catheters are ubiquitous in contemporary care and it has been estimated that 30–80%. It has been estimated that CVCs are some 64 times more likely to result in a catheter related blood stream infection (CRBSI) than other intravascular access devices [7]. The attributable cost per infection in the US varies considerably based on infection type the consequences of CRBSI results in a considerable economic burden on both the healthcare provider and healthcare factors, costs are reported to range from USD 3700 to USD 56,000 per patient, with an and patient. Contamination commonplace and much here of theshould discussion here should betotransferrable to a range of devices
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
