Chlorhexidine-silver sulfadiazine– or rifampicin-miconazole–impregnated venous catheters decrease the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infection similarly

• Chlorhexidine-silver sulfadiazine–impregnated catheters had lower catheter-related bloodstream infection risk than standard catheters.
• Rifampicin-miconazole–impregnated catheters had lower catheter-related bloodstream infection than standard catheters.
• Chlorhexidine-silver sulfadiazine– and rifampicin-miconazole–impregnated catheters decreased similarly the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infection.

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to compare the incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) with the use of second-generation chlorhexidine-silver sulfadiazine (CHSS)–impregnated catheters, rifampicin-miconazole (RM)–impregnated catheters, and standard catheters.MethodsRetrospective study of patients admitted to an intensive care unit who received CHSS, RM, or standard catheters in femoral venous access.ResultsWe diagnosed 18 CRBSIs in 245 patients with standard catheters in 2,061 days, zero CRBSI in 169 patients with CHSS-impregnated catheters in 1,489 days, and zero CRBSI in 227 patients with RM-impregnated catheters in 2,009 days. Patients with standard catheters compared with CHSS- and RM-impregnated catheters showed a higher rate of CRBSI (7.3%, 0%, and 0%, respectively; P < .001) and higher incidence density of CRBSI (8.7, 0, and 0 per 1,000 catheter days, respectively; P < .001). We found in the exact Poisson regression that standard catheters were associated with a higher CRBSI incidence than CHSS-impregnated catheters (P < .001) and RM-impregnated catheters (P < .001), controlling for catheter duration. We found in survival analysis that standard catheters were associated with a lower CRBSI-free time than CHSS-impregnated catheters (P < .001) and RM-impregnated catheters (P < .001).ConclusionWe found that CHSS- and RM-impregnated catheters decreased similarly the risk of CRBSI.