Alcohol Locks for the Prevention of Tunneled Catheter-related Infections
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
In modern-day medicine, the use of central venous catheters has become unavoidable. However, their use does not come without risk. It puts patients in danger of infectious complications (catheter-related infections [CRI]), the most important of which is catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI). CRBSI is associated with a significant increase in hospital stay and, therefore, cost of patient management, morbidity, and probably also mortality. There still is an urgent need for effective, cheap and easy to implement measures to prevent CRI that are without risk of developing antibiotic resistance.
During use, bacteria can colonize the inner surface of the catheter. This endoluminal route of infection can be prevented to some extent when an antibiotic solution is instilled in the catheter for a long enough time and on a regular basis. However, to avoid resistance from occurring, the use of antibiotics for infection prevention should remain exceptional.
The use of a non-toxic antiseptic might be a better alternative. Recently, the use of an alcohol lock solution was suggested as a promising way to prevent CRBSI and the compatibility of polyurethane and silicone catheters submerged in an alcohol solution was publicized with no biomechanical or structural changes detected after 9 weeks of immersion. The major advantage of an alcohol lock solution would be the broad antimicrobial spectrum without the risk of compromising future antibiotic treatment as, in contrast to the use of an antibiotic lock, the development of antibiotic resistance is not of concern. Furthermore it would be cheap and universally available.
In this randomised study, the efficacy of a 70% alcohol lock solution for the prevention of CRBSI will be compared with placebo when applied for 15 minutes per day.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Phase 2/Phase 3 |
Detailed Description
In modern-day medicine, the use of intravascular catheters has become unavoidable. In the United States, hospitals and clinics purchase more than 150 million intravascular devices each year of which more than 5 million are central venous catheters. However, their use does not come without risk. It puts patients in danger of mechanical, thrombotic and infectious complications (catheter-related infections [CRI]), the most important of which is catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI). CRBSI is associated with a significant increase in hospital stay and, therefore, cost of patient management, morbidity and probably also mortality. The increase in expenses was estimated to be 15,965 US dollars per patient with a CRBSI in 1994 and even 56,167 US dollars in another more recent study.
It is clear that the prevention of CRI is of utmost importance and will help to decrease patient suffering as well as cost of patient management. Extensive and detailed evidence-based recommendations for the prevention of CRI were recently published. However, many topics remain unresolved and there still is an urgent need for effective, cheap and easy to implement preventive measures that are without risk of developing antibiotic resistance.
Catheters can become colonized with microorganisms through exoluminal (catheter insertion site) or endoluminal (hub and infusates) routes. It has been shown that, the longer a catheter remains in place, the more important the endoluminal route becomes. The endoluminal route of infection can be prevented to some extent when an antibiotic solution is instilled in the catheter for a long enough time and on a regular basis. However, to avoid resistance from occurring, the use of antibiotics in such a lock for infection prevention should remain exceptional. Although there is evidence to support the concept, methodologically appropriate clinical data on the use of antiseptic solutions for this purpose are still awaited.
Recently, the use of an alcohol lock solution was suggested as a promising way to prevent CRBSI and the compatibility of polyurethane and silicone catheters submerged in an alcohol solution was publicized with no biomechanical or structural changes detected after 9 weeks of immersion. The major advantage of an alcohol lock solution would be the broad antimicrobial spectrum without the risk of compromising future antibiotic treatment as, in contrast to the use of an antibiotic lock, the development of antibiotic resistance is not of concern. Furthermore it would be cheap and universally available.
In this randomised study the efficacy of a 70% alcohol lock solution for the prevention of CRBSI will be compared with placebo when applied for 15 minutes per day.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: 1 The intervention is the instillation of ethanol 70% solution in the catheter lumen (or lumina) for 15minutes per day during hospital stay and for 15minutes for patients not in the hospital. |
Procedure: Alcohol-lock
The intervention is the instillation of ethanol 70% solution in the catheter lumen (or lumina) for 15minutes per day during hospital stay and for 15minutes per week for patients not in the hospital.
|
| Placebo Comparator: 2 The intervention is the instillation of placebo solution in the catheter lumen (or lumina) for 15minutes per day during hospital stay and for 15minutes per week for patients not in the hospital. |
Drug: placebo-lock
The intervention is the instillation of placebo solution in the catheter lumen (or lumina) for 15minutes per day during hospital stay and for 15minutes per week for patients not in the hospital.
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Endoluminal catheter related bacteremia [at time of catheter removal]
Secondary Outcome Measures
- All catheter-related bacteremias with differential time to positivity (DTTP) > 2 hours [at time of catheter removal]
- Catheter survival time [at time of catheter removal]
- Vancomycin and linezolid use [at time of catheter removal]
- Incidence of positive catheter tip cultures [at time of catheter removal]
- Incidence of bacteremia/fungemia (catheter-related or not) [at time of catheter removal]
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
-
Patient at least 18 years old
-
Admitted to the haematology department
-
Had a tunnelled central venous catheter inserted in the preceding 72 hours
Exclusion Criteria:
- Known allergy to alcohol or active use of metronidazole (or related 2-nitroimidazole compounds) or disulfiram (Antabuse)
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erasmus Medical Center | Rotterdam | Netherlands | 3000 CA |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Erasmus Medical Center
- Stichting Nuts Ohra
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Bart JA Rijnders, MD, PhD, Erasmus Medical Center
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
- A.Aiyangar, W.C.Crone, C.J.Crnich DGM. Effect of Ethanol on the Mechanical Properties of Polyurethane Catheters. Proceedings of the 2002 SEM Annual Conference and Exposition on Experimental and Applied Mechanics . 2002.
- Allon M. Prophylaxis against dialysis catheter-related bacteremia with a novel antimicrobial lock solution. Clin Infect Dis. 2003 Jun 15;36(12):1539-44. Epub 2003 Jun 6.
- Carratalà J, Niubó J, Fernández-Sevilla A, Juvé E, Castellsagué X, Berlanga J, Liñares J, Gudiol F. Randomized, double-blind trial of an antibiotic-lock technique for prevention of gram-positive central venous catheter-related infection in neutropenic patients with cancer. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1999 Sep;43(9):2200-4.
- Chatzinikolaou I, Zipf TF, Hanna H, Umphrey J, Roberts WM, Sherertz R, Hachem R, Raad I. Minocycline-ethylenediaminetetraacetate lock solution for the prevention of implantable port infections in children with cancer. Clin Infect Dis. 2003 Jan 1;36(1):116-9. Epub 2002 Dec 11.
- Digiovine B, Chenoweth C, Watts C, Higgins M. The attributable mortality and costs of primary nosocomial bloodstream infections in the intensive care unit. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1999 Sep;160(3):976-81.
- Dimick JB, Pelz RK, Consunji R, Swoboda SM, Hendrix CW, Lipsett PA. Increased resource use associated with catheter-related bloodstream infection in the surgical intensive care unit. Arch Surg. 2001 Feb;136(2):229-34.
- Dogra GK, Herson H, Hutchison B, Irish AB, Heath CH, Golledge C, Luxton G, Moody H. Prevention of tunneled hemodialysis catheter-related infections using catheter-restricted filling with gentamicin and citrate: a randomized controlled study. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2002 Aug;13(8):2133-9.
- Henrickson KJ, Axtell RA, Hoover SM, Kuhn SM, Pritchett J, Kehl SC, Klein JP. Prevention of central venous catheter-related infections and thrombotic events in immunocompromised children by the use of vancomycin/ciprofloxacin/heparin flush solution: A randomized, multicenter, double-blind trial. J Clin Oncol. 2000 Mar;18(6):1269-78.
- Maki DG, Crnich CJ, Safdar N. Successful use of a 25% Alcohol Lock Solution for Prevention of Recurrent CVC-Related Bloodstream Infection in a patient on Home TNA. 42nd ICAAC Abstracts, American Society for Microbiology, September 27 - 30, 2002, San Diego, CA, page 320 . 2002.
- Mermel LA, Farr BM, Sherertz RJ, Raad II, O'Grady N, Harris JS, Craven DE; Infectious Diseases Society of America; American College of Critical Care Medicine; Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Guidelines for the management of intravascular catheter-related infections. Clin Infect Dis. 2001 May 1;32(9):1249-72. Epub 2001 Apr 3. Review.
- O'Grady NP, Alexander M, Dellinger EP, Gerberding JL, Heard SO, Maki DG, Masur H, McCormick RD, Mermel LA, Pearson ML, Raad II, Randolph A, Weinstein RA. Guidelines for the prevention of intravascular catheter-related infections. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2002 Aug 9;51(RR-10):1-29.
- Raad I, Costerton W, Sabharwal U, Sacilowski M, Anaissie E, Bodey GP. Ultrastructural analysis of indwelling vascular catheters: a quantitative relationship between luminal colonization and duration of placement. J Infect Dis. 1993 Aug;168(2):400-7.
- Rello J, Ochagavia A, Sabanes E, Roque M, Mariscal D, Reynaga E, Valles J. Evaluation of outcome of intravenous catheter-related infections in critically ill patients. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2000 Sep;162(3 Pt 1):1027-30.
- Renaud B, Brun-Buisson C; ICU-Bacteremia Study Group. Outcomes of primary and catheter-related bacteremia. A cohort and case-control study in critically ill patients. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001 Jun;163(7):1584-90.
- Schwartz C, Henrickson KJ, Roghmann K, Powell K. Prevention of bacteremia attributed to luminal colonization of tunneled central venous catheters with vancomycin-susceptible organisms. J Clin Oncol. 1990 Sep;8(9):1591-7.
- AL-01
- SNO-T-07-57