The role of antibiotic lock therapy in treatment of catheter-related infections

Background: Catheter-Related Infections is one of the most important causes of nosocomial infections. Central venous catheters are the most common cause of all bloodstream infections, which have significant morbidity and mortality. Catheter-induced serious infections such as bacteremia are often due to the microbial biofilm production. The aim of this study was to review the effectiveness of antibiotic lock therapy (ALT) in treatment of catheter-related infections. Methods: We’ve searched PubMed, Google scholar, SID and Magiran databases from the year 1990 to 2018 for keywords such as antibiotic lock, biofilm, catheter-related infection, bacteremia and treatment among published articles. Results: ALT is recommended to minimize the need for systemic antibiotics by preventing the colonization of organisms on the catheter or eradicate catheter-associated biofilms of major bacterial pathogens (such as Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas spp.) as well as ALT is intended to decrease mortality and morbidity in hemodialysis-dependent patients and those with indwelling central venous catheter for intravenous chemotherapy and total parenteral nutrition. Conclusion: ALT is a simple strategy for the prevention and treatment of catheter-related infections.

کلیدواژه ها:

antibiotic lock ، biofilm ، catheter-related infection ، bacteremia