Temporary central venous catheters

The anatomic location for temporary central venous catheter (CVC) insertion and placement can be dictated by certain patient or disease restrictions, but the most common sites are the internal jugular vein (neck), the femoral vein (groin), and the subclavian position (upper chest). The internal jugular approach is the first choice for placement of a hemodialysis CVC, while femoral placement is favored when rapid insertion is essential (Canaud et al., 2000). Subclavian vein access has fallen from favor because of a higher incidence of thrombosis and stenosis associated with this site, which can ultimately prevent use of the veins in the downstream vascular tree for high-flow applications such as dialysis (Cimochowski et al., 1990 Schillinger et al., 1991). 

Catheter device selection is based on a number of factors, including the plarmed application and placement site, duration of implantation, composition of fluids infused, and frequency of access (Namyslowski and Patel, 1999). Vascular catheters can be divided into two genei groups shortterm, temporary catheters that are placed percutaneously, and long-term, indwelling vascular catheters that usually require a surgical insertion. Temporary catheters include short peripheral venous and arterial catheters, nontunneled central venous and arterial catheters, and peripherally inserted central catheters (Pearson, 1996). Tunneled central venous catheters and totally implantable intra-... 

Hemodialysis (HD) catheter-associated bloodstream infections (BSls) are a type of CLABSI due to a central venous catheter (CVC) specifically designed for HD. In 2002, it was estimated that 50,000 CLABSIs occur in dialysis patients in the US annually. A more recent surveillance study found the rate of access-related BSIs to be 0.73 events per 100 patient-months [5]. Aside from catheters, patients in need of renal replacement therapy should eventually use arteriovenous fistula (AVF) or arteriovenous grafts (AVG) for HD, or alternatively, may receive peritoneal dialysis. All renal replacement therapies are associated with a risk of infection however, this risk varies with the method selected. Data from a CDC surveillance program display nicely how the type of access influences the BSI rate per 100 patient-months 0.5 (for AVFs), 0.9 (AVG), 4.2 (permanent CVCs), and an impressive 27.1 for temporary CVCs [6]. Another, more practi-... 

In certain sitnations the internal jugular or subclavian veins may be inaccessible or the patient may have uncorrectable thrombocytopenia or coagulopathy, which necessitates access to the central venous system by the femoral vein. When using this approach for temporary pacing, fluoroscopy is required for pacing catheter placement. In addition to the need for fluoroscopy, other disadvantages include patient comfort (because the leg cannot be bent at the hip), increased risk of infection, and poor catheter stability. 

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