Central venous catheters: a review of the literature.
Central venous catheters have revolutionised the care of patients requiring long term intravenous therapy. However, the complications of infection and thrombosis remain major concerns. The author reviewed the literature to discover whether changing practice could reduce the infection rates on her unit.
Harrison
M
M
Nursing Development Unit, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust.
D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control