Colonization and bacteremia risk factors in parenteral nutrition catheterization

Aims: 1) To establish the relationship between the kind of microorganism that colonizes parenteral nutrition catheters and several risk factors related to catheterization and patient characteristics. 2) To investigate the risk factors associated to bacteremia episodes originated in these colonized catheters. Method: An observational, non-controlled, retrospective and cohorts study of the parenteral nutrition catheters implanted between 1988 and 1994 in our hospital. Risk factors were studied in 6 multiple-logistic regression models. Results: 3632 catheters were studied. Incidences of colonization and bacteremia per 1000 days of catheterization were 17.56 and 3.93, respectively. Coagulase-negative staphyloccoci (CNS) were the most frequently isolated microorganisms. The colonization risk factors were: insertion site for all the microorganisms except fungi, catheterization time for CNS and fungi, hospitalization area, sex and age for CNS model, the existence of other infectious foci for Gram negative bacilli (GNB), S aureus and other microorganisms, hypoalbuminemia for GNB model, and neoplasm for other microorganisms. The bacteremia risk factors were jugular insertion site, catheterization time greater than 10 days, catheter's hub colonization, and catheter colonization by gram-negative bacilli, fungi and S. aureus. Conclusion: Risk factors for catheter colonization vary depending on the microorganism which colonizes the catheter. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.