J Paredes, M Alonso-Arce, C Schmidt, D Valderas, B Sedano, J Legarda, F Arizti, E Gómez, A Aguinaga, J L Del Pozo, S Arana
Central venous catheters (CVC) are commonly used in clinical practice to improve a patient's quality of life. Unfortunately, there is an intrinsic risk of acquiring an infection related to microbial biofilm formation inside the catheter lumen. It has been estimated that 80 % of all human bacterial infections are biofilm-associated. Additionally, 50 % of all nosocomial infections are associated with indwelling devices. Bloodstream infections account for 30-40 % of all cases of severe sepsis and septic shock, and are major causes of morbidity and mortality...
June 2014: Biomedical Microdevices