SEE IF YOU CAN TELL FACT FROM FICTION. From cost savings to Candida, Clinical Mythbusters tackles questions you face every day. To get Clinical Mythbusters FREE every month, sign up now!
Silver-coated catheters are excellent at preventing bloodstream infection.
False
No less an authority than Dennis G. Maki, MD, has gone on record as saying “… no study has shown that silver coatings reduce the risk of CRI.” (1)
Finding proof of the effectiveness of catheters impregnated with silver sulfadiazine and chlorhexidine is another matter.
In fact, since 1990 over 30 randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses and case-control studies have proven the efficacy of ARROWg+ard® technology—and shown how ARROWg+ard can reduce infections and save institutions money.(2)
No other company’s catheter has such a strong track record and broad-spectrum activity.
REFERENCES:
(1) Response to question from the audience regarding silver-coated catheters at the I.V. Conference, Oxford, England, March 2005.
(2) Veenstra, D.L., Saint, S., Saha, S., Lumley, T., Sullivan, S.D. “Cost-Effectiveness of Antiseptic-Impregnated Central Venous Catheters for the Prevention of Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infection,” Journal of the American Medical Association, January 20, 1999, Vol. 281, Issue 3, pp. 261–267.
Full bibliography available upon request.
See the full list of mythbusters
Learn what's true and false about catheters and sign up for
our free bulletin on catheters and related subjects
Institute of Healthcare Improvement
5 million lives campaign
The 5 Million Lives Campaign is a voluntary initiative to protect patients from five million incidents of medical harm over the next two years (December 2006 – December 2008).
- IHI 5 Million Lives Website
- Overview
- Participants
- Implement the Central Line Bundle
- IHI Getting Started Kit: Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia How-to Guide
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Recommendations of CDC and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee
