Antimicrobial chlorhexidine/silver sulfadiazine-coated central venous catheters versus those uncoated in patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Only a minimum is known about clinical effect of antimicrobial-coated central venous catheters (CVC) in stem cell transplantation settings, where CVC-related infections impose major threat to severely immunocompromised patients.

In this prospective, non-sponsored and nonrandomized study, there were 49 uncoated multi-lumen and non-tunneled CVCs and 58 antimicrobial chlorhexidine/silver sulfadiazine-coated CVCs inserted in allogeneic stem cell transplanted patients to facilitate treatment during conditioning and pre-engraftment phase (<30days after transplantation).

No significant differences were found between the two groups with respect to gender, age, intensity of pretransplant chemotherapy conditioning, duration of leucopenia, number of days with inserted CVC, number of CVC occlusive dressing changes performed per patient, and number of non-CVC-related infections. In the antimicrobial coated CVC group, there were observed less median days with fever [2 (0–18) vs. 4 (0–16), p = 0,17], fever incidence (67% vs. 77.5%, p = 0.28), and less days with fever per 1,000 catheter-days (108 vs. 147, p = 0.001), less patients with positive CVC blood cultures (36% vs. 45%, p = 0.05), repeatedly positive CVC blood cultures (8.6% vs. 26%, p = 0,018), less positive CVC blood cultures per 1,000 catheter-days (14 vs. 29, p = 0.005), and less positive CVC tip cultures (17.3% vs. 34.6%, p = 0.065) observed.

Lower number of patients with fever, days with fever, and lower number of patients with positive and repeatedly positive CVC blood cultures indicates less intensive antibiotic and antipyretic treatment probably needed in neutropenic allo-transplanted patients with indwelling antimicrobial-coated CVCs. Real impact on antibiotic consumption should be verified in large randomized study.