Increased Risk of Bacteremia in Patients Hemodialyzed Through Central Catheters
- Resource Type
- article
- Authors
- Geoffrey Taylor; Teresa Kirkland; Peter Hamilton
- Source
- Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases, Vol 1, Iss 1, Pp 11-14 (1990)
- Subject
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
RC109-216
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1180-2332
63974436
As part of an ongoing prospective survey of nosocomial bacteremias, patients developing bacteremia while undergoing in-centre hemodialysis were observed over a 23 month period. Thirty-six episodes of bacteremia occurred in 30 patients: every episode was directly attributable to hemodialysis. In 28 of the 36 episodes (78%), there was evidence of inflammation with or without drainage of pus at the hemodialysis access site. Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 76% of the bacteremic isolates. Patients hemodialyzing through central venous catheters had a far higher incidence of bacteremia (0.01 per dialysis run) than patients hemodialyzing through vascular grafts (0.0005 per dialysis run).