title: Single- vs double-lumen central venous catheters in pediatric oncology patients.
abstract: Double-lumen central venous catheters (CVCs) have been introduced recently for use in pediatric patients. The objective of our study was to determine if double-lumen CVC usage increased the possibility of infectious and mechanical complications compared with that of traditional single-lumen CVCs in a population at high risk for infection (oncology patients). Thirty pediatric patients (2.5 +/- 3.0 years old; mean +/- SD) who received single-lumen CVCs were compared with 31 patients (5.9 +/- 4.7 years old) who received double-lumen CVCs. The incidence of infectious complications was compared while controlling for potential confounding variables. Fifty-seven percent (17/30) of patients in the single-lumen group experienced bacteremia or cellulitis that required removal of six catheters compared with a rate of 52% (16/31) and nine catheter removals in the double-lumen group. Fewer manipulations occurred in the single-lumen group compared with the double-lumen group, but the incidence of mechanical complications tended to be greater. When managed carefully, double-lumen CVCs were not associated with a greater risk of infection than single-lumen CVCs.
authors.affiliation: Texas Children's Hospital, Houston.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Shulman
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mahoney
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000451:nursing; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D012307:Risk Factors