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arXiv · 0911.3580

Hydrodynamics of catheter biofilm formation

Oscar Sotolongo-Costa·Manuel Arias-Zugasti·Daniel Rodriguez-Perez·Sergio Martinez-Escobar·Antonio Fernandez-Barbero
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Abstract

A hydrodynamic model is proposed to describe one of the most critical problems in intensive medical care units: the formation of biofilms inside central venous catheters. The incorporation of approximate solutions for the flow-limited diffusion equation leads to the conclusion that biofilms grow on the internal catheter wall due to the counter-stream diffusion of blood through a very thin layer close to the wall. This biological deposition is the first necessary step for the subsequent bacteria colonization.

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Oscar Sotolongo-Costa, Manuel Arias-Zugasti, Daniel Rodriguez-Perez, Sergio Martinez-Escobar, Antonio Fernandez-Barbero. 2009-11-18. Hydrodynamics of catheter biofilm formation. https://arxiv.org/abs/0911.3580

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