The synthesis focused on interventions intended to prevent infection associated with central venous catheters in adult ICUs. Its primary quantitative outcome was catheter-related bloodstream infection, or CRBSI, defined according to the original trials as bloodstream infection with evidence supporting catheter-relatedness. The investigators also considered CRBSI-compatible bloodstream-infection outcomes reported by some trials.

Of the 28 randomized controlled trials included in the systematic review, 19 provided CRBSI effect estimates considered suitable for quantitative meta-analysis. The interventions covered catheter-type or connector modifications, dressing materials, skin antisepsis before insertion, antiseptic bathing, and bundle-based catheter-care strategies. Kim and Park searched MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library and CINAHL for articles published from January 2000 through August 2025.

Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials involving adult ICU patients with central venous catheters. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Study quality was assessed with the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool.

The investigators used random-effects meta-analysis to estimate pooled odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals and also conducted prespecified subgroup analyses based on intervention type and catheter-related technology subtype. For catheter-type interventions, the pooled analysis produced an odds ratio of 0.75 for CRBSI, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.59–0.94 and a p value below 0.01. Dressing interventions also had a statistically significant pooled result: the odds ratio was 0.52, the 95% confidence interval was 0.28–0.95, and the p value was 0.03.

These estimates apply to the intervention categories assessed in the included adult ICU trials. The analysis did not identify a statistically significant effect for any catheter-related technology when the technologies were evaluated individually, so the category-level result did not establish that a particular device or connector design performed better than its comparators. Antiseptic bathing did not show a statistically significant reduction in CRBSI.

Its pooled odds ratio was 0.74, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.38–1.41 and a p value of 0.36. The review therefore found no significant effect for that intervention category, while the broader catheter-type and dressing results were significant under the analyses performed. The authors said that future trials should use explicit CRBSI definitions, report extractable infection-event counts and catheter-exposure data, and describe concurrent bundle practices.

They also called for cost-effectiveness analyses to help guide implementation across diverse health-care settings. Overall, the analysis provides randomized-trial evidence for possible reductions in CRBSI with catheter-type and dressing interventions, while leaving evidence for individual catheter technologies and antiseptic bathing inconclusive.

Subject of Research: Effects of infection-control interventions on catheter-related bloodstream infection in adult intensive care units

Article Title: Effects of infection control interventions for preventing catheter-related bloodstream infection in intensive care units: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Article References: Kim, Y., & Park, H.-Y. (2026). Effects of infection control interventions for preventing catheter-related bloodstream infection in intensive care units: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-026-14324-0

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12879-026-14324-0

Keywords: catheter-related bloodstream infection, central venous catheters, intensive care units, systematic review, meta-analysis, catheter dressings, antiseptic bathing, infection control, randomized controlled trials, Effects, infection, control