Electronic ISSN 2287-0237

VOLUME

REVIEW OF CENTRAL VENOUS CATHETER-RELATED INFECTIONS AND UV-C AS A POTENTIAL SOLUTION

FEBRUARY 2017 - VOL.13 | REVIEWS ARTICLE

     Central venous catheters (CVCs) are indispensable medical devices that are utilized in clinical settings globally. Though CVCs provide life-saving functions, they are highly susceptible to bacterial colonization that eventually leads to catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI). Existing strategies in hospitals such as standard sterilization protocols have not been effective in significantly lowering the rate of CRBSIs in the past decade. The use of ultraviolet (UV) light as a source of microbial disinfectant is historically known. In particular, UV-C light has been shown to effectively eradicatebacteria, including strains that are difficult to kill with antibiotics. Many studies show that multiple logs-reduction in bacterial colonization after UV-C exposure can be achieved.

     With the emergence of light emitting diodes (LEDs) that deliver UV-C, the idea ofapplying UV-C energy to sterilize catheters has become more practical to implement due to their small size and low power consumption implement. In addition to its efficacy against bacteria, UV-C has also been shown to have little to no negative health effect on human tissues and minimal  hotochemical effect on infusates commonlydelivered through CVCs. Altogether, UV-C light has a promising application in the prevention of CRBSIs that is not only effective but sa

Keywords

sterilization, central venous catheters (CVC), ultraviolet light (UV), infections, catheter related bloodstream infection (CRBSI), hospital-acquired infection (HAI), bacteremia, sepsis, intensive care unit (ICU), hemodialysis, chemotherapy

DOI:

10.31524/bkkmedj.2017.02.017

MEDIA
Figure 1
Sources of bacterial entry into vascular catheter and causes of infection, and main preventive strategies on vascular catheter. Sources of bacterial entry include patient skin flora, contaminated catheter hub and lumen, contaminated infusate, and hematogenous colonization from distant sites of infection. The short-term preventive strategy is the catheter insertion site, and the long-term is the catheter hub. Dots indicate sources of bacterial entry into the CVC system. Red outline indicates locations for preventative strategies against bacterial colonization of the catheter.
Figure 2
Steps from bacterial attachment to biofilm development. The number of bacteria multiply significantly during log phase, and biofilm begins to form afterwards.
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