Abstract
Introduction: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are routinely managed by hemodialysis.
The catheter-related blood stream infections (CRBSIs) are important complications with high risk
of mortality and morbidity in patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Objectives: To determine the incidence of CRBSIs in patients undergoing hemodialysis in a single
center in Iran.
Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the incidence of CRBSIs in
50 hemodialysis patients hospitalized at the Shahid-Modarres hospital of Tehran from March
2017 until March 2018. The data was collected from patients’ medical archives. The CRBSI was
established by blood culture.
Results: Of 50 hemodialysis patients enrolled in the study, 27 were males (54%). The mean age was
49.7 ±11. 8 years old. Positive blood culture was observed in 64% of patients. The most common
causative organism was coagulase-negative staphylococci (24%). The most common comorbidity
and systemic clinical symptom included hypertension (84%) and fever (92%) respectively. In most
patients (74%), the length of catheter indwelling was less than one year. Echocardiography showed
that 24% of the patients had vegetation.
Conclusion: The coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most frequent organisms responsible
for CRBSIs among hemodialysis patients. These findings might be helpful in early diagnosis and
choose the best antibiotics for treatment.