Issues in the management of percutaneous central venous catheters. Single and multiple lumens.

In this era of high technology and extensive parenteral therapies, multiple-lumen CVCs seem to be among the many devices needed to provide appropriate care to hospitalized patients. All CVCs, regardless of their benefit, create substantial risks for mechanical and septic complications. Antibacterial solutions that are bonded to the catheter and longer-acting skin antiseptics offer preliminary evidence that CVC sepsis rates can be reduced. The advances in CVC design, materials, and coatings are intended to be a supplement to--not a substitute for--meticulous care of CVCs.