Studies suggest that central venous catheter bloodstream infections (BSIs) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated catheter-related BSIs in Switzerland and found peripheral venous catheter (PVC) BSI incidence increased during 2021-2022 compared with 2020. These findings should raise awareness of PVC-associated BSIs and prompt inclusion of PVC BSIs in surveillance systems.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS; SARS-CoV-2; Switzerland; bacteria; bloodstream infection; catheter; coronavirus; coronavirus disease; peripheral-line; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; surveillance; viruses; zoonoses.