Table 4.

Type of EC withdrawal from patients with reported side effects or complications and microbiological study result of EC tip.

Removed according to APU protocol	913 (92.4%)
Accidental exteriorization	20 (2.0%)
Signs of infection at the EC insertion point	53 (5.4%)
Microbiological study of EC tip:
Negative	21 (40.4%)
Staphylococcus epidermidis	10 (19.2%)
Staphylococcus aureus	5 (9.6%)
Klebsiella pneumoniae	4 (7.7%)
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus	3 (5.8%)
Pseudomonas aeruginosa	3 (5.8%)
Polymicrobial	2 (3.8%)
Staphylococcus capitis	1 (1.9%)
Staphylococcus haemolyticus	1 (1.9%)
Staphylococcus hominis	1 (1.9%)
Proteus mirabilis	1 (1.9%)
Removed at the operating room	1 (0.1%)
Removed after death	1 (0.1%)

EC, epidural catheter.