Ethanol-lock technique in the treatment of bloodstream infections in pediatric oncology patients with broviac catheter. Routine changing of intravenous administration sets does not reduce colonization or infection in central venous catheters. A prospective randomized trial of urokinase as an adjuvant in the treatment of proven Hickman catheter sepsis.
To assess the ethanol-lock technique as a means of treating central venous line infections. Bloodstream infections in patients with tunneled central venous catheters can lead to removal of the lines.
                Twenty-eight children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 years, with different types of cancer, had Broviac catheters and presented with positive blood culture and clinical signs of infection between January 2000 and December 2001. The ethanol-lock technique was performed 24 times in 18 patients in addition to empiric (initially) and specific (after antibiogram) intravenous antibiotic treatment. In another 15 cases, 13 children were treated with systemic antibiotics alone.
                Sixty-seven percent of the patients treated with ethanol locks had no infectious relapse of any kind within 4 weeks of treatment or during subsequent aplasia, compared with 47% treated with systemic antibiotics alone. In one boy the catheter infection could not be cleared with systemic antibiotics alone, but after one course of ethanol locks no more blood culture-positive infectious episodes were observed. No severe clinical side effects of ethanol flush were observed. Mild symptoms that occurred were tiredness, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and light-headedness.
                The ethanol-lock technique appears to be a safe, well tolerated, and effective way to treat central venous line infections, even in small children. A prospective randomized study should be designed to compare antibiotic-lock, ethanol-lock technique, and systemic antibiotics alone in the treatment of device-associated bloodstream infection. To determine the effect of routine intravenous (IV) administration set changes on central venous catheter (CVC) colonization and catheter-related bacteremia.
                Prospective, randomized, controlled trial.
                Eighteen-bed intensive care unit (ICU) in a large metropolitan hospital.
                Two hundred fifty-one patients with 404 chlorhexidine gluconate and silver sulfadiazine-coated multi-lumen CVCs.
                CVCs inserted in the ICU and in situ on day 4 were randomized to have their IV administration sets changed on day 4 (n = 203) or not at all (n = 201). Use of fluid containers and blood product administration sets was limited to 24 hours. CVCs were removed when not required, infection was suspected, or in place on day 7. Catheter cultures were performed on removal by blinded laboratory staff. Catheter-related bacteremia was diagnosed by a blinded intensivist using strict definitions. Data were collected regarding catheter duration, site, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, patient age, diagnosis, hyperglycemia, hypoalbuminemia, immune status, number of fluid containers and IV injections, and administration of propofol, blood, total parenteral nutrition, or lipid infusion.
                There were 10 colonized CVCs in the group receiving a set change and 19 in the group not receiving one. This difference was not statistically significant on Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. There were 3 cases of catheter-related bacteremia per group. Logistic regression found that burns diagnosis and increased ICU stay significantly predicted colonization.
                IV administration sets can be used for 7 days in patients with short-term, antiseptic-coated CVCs. Chronic vascular access catheters have become an important adjunct to the treatment of children with complex medical diseases, particularly malignancy. One of the major complications of chronic venous access devices is bacterial infection of the catheter site and bloodstream. Infusion of systemic antibiotics directly into the catheter has been the standard initial therapy with failure leading to catheter removal and replacement. It has been suggested by a number of investigators that the addition of urokinase as a thrombolytic agent to lyse any accumulated thrombus or fibrin would increase the successful catheter clearance by antibiotics. This study was designed as a prospective, randomized trial to compare treatment of children with positive catheter blood cultures with either antibiotics alone or in combination with urokinase 5,000 U boluses 12 and 24 hours after study entry.
                A total of 63 patients were entered in the study. Thirty-three received antibiotics and urokinase, and 30 received antibiotics alone.
                A total of 45 catheters (71%) were cleared of infection and salvaged. Treatment failures leading to catheter removal occurred in 9 of 33 in the experimental group and 9 of 30 in the control population (no significant difference).
                Urokinase could not be shown to act as an adjuvant in the clearance of infection from chronic central venous access catheters that had no evidence of clot or thrombus. This study required the performance of a dye study and excluded any patient with a known thrombus. This conclusion must therefore be limited to patients with no evidence of a clot or fibrin sheath.
No significant effect of urokinase or ethanol lock in addition to systemic antibiotics was found. However, this could be due to low power or a too-short follow-up. The cohort studies identified no adverse events; some cohort studies reported CVC malfunctioning. No RCTs or CCTs were published on antibiotic lock treatment alone. More well-designed RCTs are needed to further explore the effect of antibiotic or other lock treatments in the treatment of CVC-related infections in children with cancer.