The Effectiveness of Silver Alginate (Algidex) Patch in the Prevention of Central Line Infections in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

The purpose of this study is to determine whether silver alginate (Algidex) patch is effective in the prevention of central line infections in very low birth weight infants.

With rapid technological advancement, the increased use of vascular catheters has not only improved patient care strategies, but also contributed to the risk of infection. Unfortunately, catheter related blood stream infections still remain one of the major causes of morbidity in VLBW infants. In the United States, approximately 850,000 infections are attributed to catheters annually, occurring primarily in intensive care unit patients. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development stated that 20% of infants less than 1500 grams will have at least one positive blood culture delaying their stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). One approach to reducing the incidence of infection could be utilizing the antimicrobial properties of silver. Silver alginate has been proven safe and beneficial in the adult population in preventing catheter related infections. Studies done in mice and rats suggest acute toxicity occurring when the animals were given 23 mg of silver acetate/kg of body weight and chronic toxicity noticed when animals were given 1.5 mg/kg/day (5) Chronic toxicity in humans was shown with ingestion of 13 mg/kg/day (3) In our recently concluded pilot randomized controlled trial done in VLBW infants, safety of silver alginate was demonstrated by lack of skin reactions to the patches and mild increase in serum silver level ( Khattak et al; Pediatrics research March 2008, clinicaltrials.gov id: NCT00593684 ). However, there is no clinical evidence of efficacy in VLBW neonatal population. Based on the data from our pilot safety study, we hypothesize that using silver alginate dressing in this population will be efficacious in the prevention of blood stream infections. Although initial studies suggest that absorbed silver is not in a range toxic to human infants, we will continue to monitor silver levels in certain infants.