Prevalent species in vascular access medical device-associated infections

• Main Author: Machado, Carolina de Matos Santos Coimbra
• Publication Date: 2021
• Format: Master thesis
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10773/30961
• topic: Vascular access medical devices; Catheters; Bloodstream infections; Nosocomial infections; Epidemiology; Staphylococcus spp

Central venous Catheters (CVCs) and Peripheral venous Catheters (PVCs) break the skin barriers, opening a door to microorganisms that potentially cause bloodstream infections (BSIs).This study aimed to infer about the epidemiology of species associated with the use of CVCs and the design of a protocol for the surveillance of PVC tip bacterial colonization at Centro Hospitalar do Baixo Vouga. The rolling of catheter tips was performed using the Maki technique, microorganisms were identified using MALDI-TOF MS and the antimicrobial susceptibility test by disk diffusion method was performed. The majority of patients in this study were men over 60 years old. 39% of the analysed CVC tips tested positive for the presence of microorganisms, of which most were Gram-positive bacteria and only 15% of the total isolated microorganisms were considered the source of a BSI-associated with CVC use. Of the analysed PVC tips, only a small portion had a positive result for the presence of microorganisms, with Staphylococcus epidermidis being the most frequent one. Methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis and S. aureus (MRSE/MRSA) were also observed. The presence of microorganisms even though they belong to the human skin microbiota, in catheter tips is, in itself, a risk for the development of BSIs associated with catheter use.