Topical Antibiotics for Prevention of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Central Line Infections

Pilot Study: Topical Antibiotics for Prevention of ICU Central Line Infections

Status

Withdrawn

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00990392

Acronym

ToPICL

Enrollment

Registered

2009-10-06

Start date

2009-11-30

Completion date

2011-01-31

Last updated

2015-05-29

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Blood Stream Infections, Skin Diseases, Infectious

Keywords

Blood stream infections, Catheter related infections, Central venous catheter related infections, Line sepsis, Topical antibiotics, Bacitracin, Polymixin, Gramicidin, Polysporin Triple Therapy, Intensive care unit

Brief summary

The purpose of the study is to determine if the overall central venous catheter related infection rate can be reduced by the application of Polysporin Triple Therapy ointment to the insertion site.

Detailed description

Previous studies in the dialysis population have found a reduction in local and system central venous catheter related infections with the application of topical antibiotics to the insertion point. One such study found a mortality benefit with Polysporin Triple Therapy ointment. We intend to determine if this preparation can reduce overall line infection rates in the ICU environment through its application at the time of line insertion and twice more the following week.

Interventions

DRUGPolysporin Triple Therapy ointment

Polysporin Triple Therapy ointment applied to the insertion point at the time of CVC placement and twice within the first week.

OTHERPetroleum Jelly

Petroleum jelly applied to the insertion point at the time of CVC placement and twice within the first week.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* all patients admitted to the ICU requiring a central venous catheter

Exclusion criteria

* previous line infection during same ICU stay * CVC for hemodialysis

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Overall number of line related infections (local and blood borne)	6 months

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Length of ICU stay	7 months
Length of hospital stay	7 months
Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)	12 months

Countries

Canada

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026