title: Central venous catheter management prior to the start of the dialysis session: a new device to improve a critical procedure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Central venous catheter (CVC) preparation for a haemodialysis (HD) session is a critical non-standardized manoeuvre.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared the procedure in use at our centre (C) versus the use of Haemocatch® (H), a device recently presented for the management of CVC, in 12 patients, with C during 7 dialysis sessions and H during the subsequent 7 sessions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 75 HD sessions with C and 75 with H, both the number of connections and disconnections of the CVC via a syringe and the amount of blood wasted during the manoeuvres proved significantly lower with H (2.19 ± 0.59 for H vs. 4.23 ± 0.78 for C, p = 0.00093; 5.97 ± 2.77 ml for H vs. 14.57 ± 6.3 ml for C, p = 0.000078, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The new device could improve the quality of care in the HD patients carrying a CVC: standardization of the procedure, reduced blood wasting and infection risk.
authors.affiliation: Nefrologia Dialisi e Ipertensione, Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mambelli
authors.forename: Juri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piattoni
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Elia
authors.forename: Vincenza
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Guadagno
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santoro
mesh_terms: D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D062905:Central Venous Catheters; D006801:Humans; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000379:methods