Variation in the Practice of Central Venous Catheter and Chest Tube Insertions among Surgery Residents

Enhancing the Central Venous Catheterization Competency of Medical Students through a Specialized Team and an Interactive Response System: A pre-post study

Background

Central venous catheterization (CVC) is a critical clinical procedure. To avoid complications, possessing good knowledge regarding the CVC care bundle and skills for the proper insertion and maintenance of CVC are important.

Objectives

To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention and the use of an interactive response system in enhancing the CVC bundle care and insertion skills of medical students undergoing critical care medicine training.

Materials and Methods

Sixth-year medical students (equivalent to fourth-year students in the United States) engaged in didactic lessons, interactive demonstrations, and simulator training facilitated by a CVC team comprising three thoracic and two vascular surgeons (all with a minimum 5 years of experience in central venous access) during their intensive care unit (ICU) rotation. Self-reported knowledge and confidence levels were assessed using pre-and posttests administered through the Zuvio App, an interactive response system.

Results

A total of 60 students underwent the educational intervention, of which 54 completed the pretest and 40 completed the posttest. In the posttest, significant improvement was found in the CVC bundle care competency and understanding (P = 0.002), preprocedural preparation (P = 0.002), insertion procedures (P = 0.004), complications (P = 0.003), and insertion depth decisions (P = 0.001). Staff and students reported that assessment and interaction via the Zuvio App were valuable, practical, and feasible in a clinical setting, providing trainees with an individual competency portfolio of receiving precise medical education.

Conclusions

Integrating the training provided by a specialized team with an interactive response system enhanced the knowledge and competency level in CVC insertion among medical students in this study.

Resident physician training in bedside pleural procedures: A one-year experience at a teaching hospital

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

This study aims to quantify bedside pleural procedures performed at a quaternary teaching hospital describing technical and epidemiological aspects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The authors retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who underwent invasive thoracic bedside procedures between March 2022 and February 2023.

RESULTS

463 chest tube insertions and 200 thoracenteses were performed during the study period. Most procedures were conducted by 1st-year Thoracic Surgery residents, with Ultrasound Guidance (USG). There was a notable preference for small-bore pigtail catheters, with a low rate of immediate complications.

CONCLUSION

Bedside thoracic procedures are commonly performed in current medical practice and are significant in surgical resident training. The utilization of pigtail catheters and point-of-care ultrasonography by surgical residents in pleural procedures is increasingly prevalent and demonstrates high safety.

[The Incidences of Catheter Colonization and Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection According to Tegaderm vs. Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG)-Tegaderm Dressing]

PURPOSE

In spite of the recent application of a general infection control method, central line-associated infections is still relatively high in Korea. Central line bundle with Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) tegaderm dressing was reported to be effective in reducing catheter colonization and central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). Therefore, this study aimed to examine the incidences of catheter colonization occurrence and CLABSI while using Tegaderm vs. CHG Tegaderm dressings.

METHODS

We used a descriptive design. 400 patients who had central venous catheters were selected from four hospitals in the Korean National Healthcare-associated Infections Surveillance System. Of all subjects, 200 used Tegaderm™ (Tegaderm group), and the remaining 200 used CHG Tegaderm (CHG Tegaderm group) dressing at the catheter insertion site. Data were analyzed using the χ² test or Fisher's exact test, t-test, and logistic regression analysis using SPSS WIN 21.0.

RESULTS

In the Tegaderm and CHG Tegaderm groups, CLABSI incidences were 5.89 and 1.79 per 1,000 catheter-days, catheter colonization incidences were 3.93 and 1.43 per 1,000 catheter-days, and central line bundle compliance rates were 26.0% and 49.0%, respectively. Catheter colonization risk factors were 'reinsertion after failure' and 'Tegaderm dressing' at the central line insertion site. CLABSI risk factors were 'incomplete performance of 7 central line bundle items' and 'Tegaderm dressing' at the central line insertion site.

CONCLUSION

A further prospective study is needed to examine the effects of central line bundle with CHG Tegaderm dressing, avoiding central line reinsertion after failure, and improving the bundle compliance in reducing catheter colonization and CLABSI.

Chlorhexidine-impregnated dressing for the prophylaxis of central venous catheter-related complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluated the role of Chlorhexidine-impregnated dressing for prophylaxis of central venous catheter (CVC) related complications, but the results remained inconsistent, updated meta-analyses on this issue are warranted.

Methods

A meta-analysis on the RCTs comparing Chlorhexidine-impregnated dressing versus other dressing or no dressing for prophylaxis of central venous catheter-related complications was performed. A comprehensive search of major databases was undertaken up to 30 Dec 2018 to identify related studies. Pooled odd ratio (OR) and mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using either a fixed-effects or random-effects model. Subgroup analysis was performed to identify the source of heterogeneity, and funnel plot and Egger test was used to identify the publication bias.

Results

A total of 12 RCTs with 6028 patients were included. The Chlorhexidine-impregnated dressings provided significant benefits in reducing the risk of catheter colonization (OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.58), decreasing the incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.42 to 0.85). Subgroup analysis indicated that the Chlorhexidine-impregnated dressings were conducive to reduce the risk of catheter colonization and CRBSI within the included RCTs with sample size more than 200, but the differences weren’t observed for those with sample less than 200. No publication bias was observed in the Egger test for the risk of CRBSI.

Conclusions

Chlorhexidine-impregnated dressing is beneficial to prevent CVC-related complications. Future studies are warranted to assess the role and cost-effectiveness of Chlorhexidine-impregnated dressings.