Editing Medical uses of silver (section)

===Catheters===
A 2014 systemic review concluded that using silver alloy-coated catheters showed no significant difference in incidences of symptomatic Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) versus using standard catheters, although silver-alloy catheters seemed to cause less discomfort to patients.<ref name=pmid25248140>{{cite journal | vauthors = Lam TB, Omar MI, Fisher E, Gillies K, MacLennan S | title = Types of indwelling urethral catheters for short-term catheterisation in hospitalised adults | journal = The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews | issue = 9 | pages = CD004013 | date = September 2014 | pmid = 25248140 | doi = 10.1002/14651858.CD004013.pub4 | pmc = 11197149 }}</ref> These catheters are associated with greater cost than other catheters.<ref name=pmid25248140/> A 2014 Multicenter Cohort Study found that using a silver-alloy hydrogel urinary catheter did reduce symptomatic Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) occurrences as defined by both NHSN and clinical criteria.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> A 2011 critical analysis of eight studies found a consistent pattern which supported using silver-alloy urinary catheters over uncoated catheters to reduce infections in adult patients, and concluded that using silver-alloy catheters would significantly improve patient care.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> A 2007 systemic review concluded that using silver-alloy indwelling catheters for short-term catheterizing will reduce the risk of catheter-acquired urinary tract infection, but called for further studies to evaluate the economic benefits of using the expensive silver alloy-catheters.<ref name="ReferenceC"/> Two systemic reviews in 2004 found that using silver-alloy catheters reduced asymptomatic and symptomatic bacteriuria more than standard catheters, for patients who were catheterised for a short time.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Rosier PK | title = Review: silver alloy catheters are more effective than standard catheters for reducing bacteriuria in adults in hospital having short term catheterisation | journal = Evidence-Based Nursing | volume = 7 | issue = 3 | pages = 85 | date = July 2004 | pmid = 15252913 | doi = 10.1136/ebn.7.3.85 | s2cid = 35670327 | url = http://ebn.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/7/3/85 | doi-access = free }}</ref> A 2000 randomized crossover study found that using the more expensive silver-coated catheter may result in cost savings by preventing nosocomial UTI infections,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Karchmer TB, Giannetta ET, Muto CA, Strain BA, Farr BM | title = A randomized crossover study of silver-coated urinary catheters in hospitalized patients | journal = Archives of Internal Medicine | volume = 160 | issue = 21 | pages = 3294–3298 | date = November 2000 | pmid = 11088092 | doi = 10.1001/archinte.160.21.3294 | doi-access = free }}</ref> and another 2000 study found that using silver alloy catheters for short-term urinary catheterization reduces the incidence of symptomatic UTI and bacteremia compared with standard catheters, and may thus yield cost savings.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Saint S, Veenstra DL, Sullivan SD, Chenoweth C, Fendrick AM | title = The potential clinical and economic benefits of silver alloy urinary catheters in preventing urinary tract infection | journal = Archives of Internal Medicine | volume = 160 | issue = 17 | pages = 2670–2675 | date = September 2000 | pmid = 10999983 | doi = 10.1001/archinte.160.17.2670 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

A 2017 study found that a combination of [[chlorhexidine]] and silver-sulfadiazine (CSS) used to coat [[central venous catheters]] (CVC) reduces the rate of catheter-related bloodstream infections.<ref name=pmid28534703>{{cite journal | vauthors = Choi YJ, Lim JK, Park JJ, Huh H, Kim DJ, Gong CH, Yoon SZ | title = Chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine coating on central venous catheters is not sufficient for protection against catheter-related infection: Simulation-based laboratory research with clinical validation | journal = The Journal of International Medical Research | volume = 45 | issue = 3 | pages = 1042–1053 | date = June 2017 | pmid = 28534703 | pmc = 5536400 | doi = 10.1177/0300060517708944 }}</ref> However, they also found that the efficacy of the CSS-CVC coating was progressively eroded by blood-flow, and that the antibacterial function was lost after 48 hours.