Incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infections following ultrasound-guided central venous catheterization: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: BMC Infectious Diseases 2022, Vol.22 (1)
• Main Authors: Takeshita, Jun, Tachibana, Kazuya, Nakajima, Yasufumi, Shime, Nobuaki
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacteremia; Catheterization; Complications and side effects; Prevention; Risk factors
• ISSN: 1471-2334; 1471-2334
• DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07760-1

Ultrasonographic guidance is widely used for central venous catheterization. Several studies have revealed that ultrasound-guided central venous catheterization increases the rate of success during the first attempt and reduces the procedural duration when compared to the anatomical landmark-guided insertion technique, which could result in protection from infectious complications. However, the effect of ultrasound-guided central venous catheterization on catheter-related bloodstream infections remains unclear. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the value of ultrasound guidance in preventing catheter-related bloodstream infections and catheter colonization associated with central venous catheterization. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and MEDLINE (via PubMed) were searched up to May 9, 2022 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing ultrasound-guided and anatomical landmark-guided insertion techniques for central venous catheterization. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool for RCTs. A meta-analysis was performed for catheter-related bloodstream infections and catheter colonization, as primary and secondary outcomes, respectively. Four RCTs involving 1268 patients met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Ultrasound-guided central venous catheterization was associated with a slightly lower incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infections (risk ratio, 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16-1.32) and was not associated with a lower incidence of catheter colonization (risk ratio, 1.36; 95% CI, 0.57-3.26). Ultrasound-guided central venous catheterization might reduce the incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infections. Additional RCTs are necessary to further evaluate the value of ultrasound guidance in preventing catheter-related bloodstream infections with central venous catheterization.