Abstract

Central venous catheter (CVC) exit-site infections contribute to bacteremia and patient morbidity and mortality among patients on hemodialysis. This structured observational study examined predictors of positive CVC exit-site infections. Hemodialysis nurses documented the physical appearance of the CVC exit site for sites they believed to be infected and required a swab culture. Additional information that pertained to the catheter, exit-site care and demographic data were also collected. No patient characteristics were associated with an exit-site infection. However, the type of dressing (p=0.007) and cleansing solution (p=0.007) used were positively associated with an exit-site ...