Monnday January 23, 2006
Suture at central venous catheter site - a risk?

Interesting article published in Managing Infection Control, december 2002 issue by Dr. Bierman 1 suggesting that sutures at central venous catheter site may also play part in CRBSI's (catheter related bloodstream infection). One study from Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania randomized 170 patients requiring PICCs, to suture (n = 85) or Sutureless Securement Device (n = 85). 3

Beside other advantages, a significant difference noted in the number of systemic infections (10 suture vs. 2 Sutureless Securement Device group; P = .0032). And, the difference in confirmed CRBSIs was (8 suture vs 1 Sutureless Securement Device; P = .04).


August 2002 Guidelines for Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections from CDC (Center for Disease Control) acknowledged that “suture-free securement devices can be advantageous over suture in CRBSIs". 2


Only commercially available Sutureless Securement Device in USA is Statlock. (icuroom.net has no connection with company and name given here is only for information purpose).


References: click to get abstrat/article
1. Suture: An Unlikely Culprit in Infections and Accidental Needlesticks - Managing Infection Control, dec. 2002
2. Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections (MMWR 2002)
3. Sutureless Securement Device Reduces Complications of Peripherally Inserted Central Venous Catheters - Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology 13:77-81 (2002)
4. OSHA Fact Sheet: Securing Medical Catheters - from STATLOCK site.