Infections associated with the use of intravascular catheters cause a substantial morbidity and mortality. New knowledge in the pathogenesis of catheter related bloodstream infections has led to advances in the prevention and management of these infections. The purpose of the present chapter is to review the most relevant data published recently on pathogenesis and diagnosis of intravascular ca...

Gordonia species are aerobic actinomycetes recently recognized as causing human disease, often in the setting of intravascular catheter-related infections. We describe a case of Gordonia bronchialis bacteremia and pleural space infection in the absence of an indwelling intravascular catheter and review the breadth of reported infections with this emerging pathogen.

Background Coronary stenting in conjunction with coronary angioplasty is a valuable tool for treatment of severe coronary dissection and is effective in reducing the frequency of restenoses. Evidence is increasing that the lumen gain within the stent is negatively correlated with the rate of subacute closures and restenoses. Since the assessment of radiolucent coronary stents and complex lumen ...

Blood cultures are sometimes obtained from intravascular catheters for convenience. However, there is controversy regarding this practice. The authors compared the diagnostic test characteristics of blood cultures obtained from intravascular catheters and peripheral veins. Relevant studies for inclusion in this review were identified through PubMed (January 1970-October 2005) and the Cochrane C...

Intravascular catheters and urinary catheters are the 2 most commonly inserted medical devices in the United States, and they are likewise the two most common causes of nosocomially acquired bloodstream infection. Biofilm formation on the surfaces of indwelling catheters is central to the pathogenesis of infection of both types of catheters. The cornerstone to any preventive strategy of intrava...

Recently, intravascular catheter probes have been developed to increase signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for MR imaging of blood vessels. Miniaturization of these catheter probes without degrading their performances is very critical in imaging small vessels such as coronary arteries. Catheter coils have a loop incorporated in their structure and have limitations in physical dimensions and electromag...

AIM To develop and evaluate a rapid enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of intravascular catheter related sepsis caused by coagulase negative staphylococci. METHODS Forty patients with a clinical and microbiological diagnosis of intravascular catheter related sepsis and positive blood cultures, caused by coagulase negative staphylococci, and 40 control patients requiri...