Etiology and pathogenesis of bloodstream infections associated with the use of long-term central vascular catheter (CVC) in patients who undergone gastrointestinal surgery.

CVC is the main factor of risk of bloodstream infections. This study purpose was determining both etiology and pathogenesis of these infections in 80 patients who undergone gastrointestinal surgery and who worn long lasting CVC, in the institution HC-UFU. Cultures were made in nostril, skin of the insertion site, tip and catheter hub, in addition to hemoculture in those suspects of sepsis. The colonization incidence rate of the catheter tip was 12.5/ 1,000 catheter days and the CVC associate infection rate was 3.1/1,000 catheter days. Frequencies of skin, hub and catheter tip colonization were 13.8%, 8.9% and 13.3%, respectively. Coagulase-negative Staphylococci were the most found microorganisms in nostril (74%), skin (45.4%) and hub (75%) and Gram-negative bacilli (50%), followed by S. aureus (25%) the most common ones in catheter tip. Approximately 51% of patients received antibiotics and most of them (53.7%) had therapeutic purpose. The frequency of patients with clinical sepsis was 27.5%. Three cases of bacteremia associated with the use of CVC were detected (3.8%), with S. aureus in two of them and K. pneumoniae in the third one. There was not seen any association of skin and hub colonization with their presence in the catheter tip and in the blood of these patients, but S. aureus was recovered from nostril of those with sepsis by this pathogenic agent. A greater concern is suggested over preventive measures and control of these primary and secondary bloodstream, as well as catheter tip colonization.