Calls to tackle UK catheter infections:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
New approaches to minimising catheter-related sepsis should be adopted immediately with the aim of reducing the "significant" incidence of such infections in critical care, says Professor Tom Elliott, director of clinical laboratory services at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Birmingham, UK. Speaking to intravenous therapy specialists and infection control nurses at a study day hosted by 3M Healthcare, he cited promising developments in bacterial adhesion site inhibitors, among others. There are over 6,000 cases of catheter-related sepsis in the UK every year, a "significant number" of which are fatal, he warned, citing data used in the recently issued European Prevalence of Infection in Intensive Care (EPIC) study.