The appropriate frequency of dressing for percutaneous central venous catheters in preventing catheter-related blood stream infection in NICU – A randomized controlled trial

Background: Complications of percutaneous central venous catheters (PCVCs) include catheter-related blood stream infection (CRBSI), occlusion, leakage, and phlebitis, which may lead to sepsis or prolonged hospitalization. The primary objective of this randomized controlled trial was to determine the appropriate frequency of dressing for percutaneous central venous catheters in preventing CRBSI, every week regularly vs. non-regularly, in premature neonates in NICU. Methods: Patients in NICU requiring PCVCs from March 2019–May 2020 were enrolled. Enrolled patients were randomly assigned into 2 groups: regular dressing group (RD), for which dressings were changed every week regularly, or additionally when oozing was noticed; and non-regular dressing group (ND), for which dressings were changed only when oozing was visible. The incidence of CRBSI, occlusion, leakage, and phlebitis were compared between the two groups using the Chi-squared test. The incidence of catheter-related complications was defined as numbers of episodes per 1000 catheter-days. Results: A total of 197 PCVCs were enrolled. The ND and RD groups had 99 and 98 PCVCs, respectively. The average CD interval was 9.3 days in ND group and 5.8 days in RD group. The incidence of CRBSI in RD group was 0‰, which was significantly lower than that of ND group, which was 2.0‰ (p = 0.048), but no significant differences were found between groups in the incidence of occlusion, leakage, and phlebitis of PCVCs. Conclusion: Regular dressing changes every week and when oozing occurs while maintaining the protocol of maximum sterile barrier precautions is the best method and frequency of dressings of PCVCs.