Effect of subcutaneous tunneling on internal jugular catheter-related sepsis in critically ill patients: a prospective randomized multicenter study

• Published in: JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 276; no. 17; p. 1416
• Main Authors: Timsit, J F, Sebille, V, Farkas, J C, Misset, B, Martin, J B, Chevret, S, Carlet, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 06.11.1996
• Subjects: Aged; Catheterization - adverse effects; Catheterization - methods; Catheters, Indwelling - adverse effects; Catheters, Indwelling - microbiology; Critical Illness; Female; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Jugular Veins; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Proportional Hazards Models; Prospective Studies; Sepsis - etiology; Sepsis - prevention & control; Severity of Illness Index; Time Factors
• ISSN: 0098-7484
• DOI: 10.1001/jama.276.17.1416

To evaluate the effect of catheter tunneling on internal jugular catheter-related sepsis in critically ill patients. A prospective randomized controlled study involving 3 intensive care units (ICUs), stratified by number of catheter lumina (1 or 2) and center. The 10-bed medical-surgical and 10-bed surgical ICUs at Saint Joseph Hospital and 8-bed surgical ICU at Clinique de la Défense, Paris, France. Every patient older than 18 years admitted to the ICUs between March 1, 1993, and July 17,1996, who required a jugular venous catheter for more than 48 hours. Random allocation to tunneled or nontunneled catheters. Times to occurrence of systemic catheter-related sepsis, catheter-related septicemia, or a quantitative catheter-tip culture with a cutoff of 103 colony-forming units per milliliter. A total of 241 patients were randomized. Ten patients in whom jugular puncture was not achieved were subsequently excluded. The proportion of patients receiving mechanical ventilation (87%) and mean+/-SD age (65+/-4 years), Simplified Acute Physiologic Score (13.3+/-4.9), Organ System Failure score (1.5+/-1.0), and duration of catheterization (8.7+/-5.0 days) were similar in both groups. Taking into account the first 231 catheters (114 nontunneled [control], 117 tunneled), we found that tunnelization decreased catheter-related sepsis (odds ratio [OR], 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.13-0.83; P=.02), catheter-related septicemia (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.07-0.81; P=.02), and, though not statistically significant, positive quantitative tip-culture rate (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.35-1.10; P=.10). These results were slightly modified after adjustment on parameters either imbalanced between both groups (duration of catheter placement and cancer at admission) or prognostic (insertion by a resident, use of antibiotics at catheter insertion, cancer, and sex). The incidence of internal jugular catheter-related infections in critically ill patients can be reduced by using subcutaneous tunnelization.