Treatment of Staphylococcus epidermidis central vascular catheter infection with 70% ethanol locks: efficacy in a sheep model.

OBJECTIVES To determine whether a single treatment with ethanol/water (70:30) will sterilize infected vascular catheters. METHODS A double-blinded, block-randomized trial was conducted in a sheep model comparing the efficacy of one 3 h treatment with ethanol/water (70:30) with heparinized saline for treatment of Hickman vascular catheters infected with Staphylococcus epidermidis. Catheters were cultured using endoluminal brushes, blood cultures, roll plates of catheter tip, broth flushed through the catheter and hub swabs. RESULTS There were significantly more sterile catheters in the ethanol treatment group than the saline treatment group (9/11 versus 0/11, P < 0.01, McNemar's chi(2) test). The median number of positive cultures in the ethanol treatment group was less than in the saline treatment group (0 versus 5, P = 0.009, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). CONCLUSIONS A single treatment of 70% ethanol is effective and clinical trials are warranted for treatment of infected vascular catheters using this regimen.