[Complications of intravenous therapy. Influence of parenteral nutrition, central venous pressure and antibiotics].

With regard to the controversy on whether the use of central venous catheters for the perfusion of other solutions as well as parenteral nutrition means an increase in the risk of sepsis caused by the catheter, a prospective study was made on 313 central intravenous catheters placed in patients admitted to the Intensive Medicine Unit of La Paz General Hospital over a one-year period. Collection of data on both catheters and patients was done following a protocol applied in all cases. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that in critical patients in whom a single central venous catheter has been placed, this can be used for the infusion of other liquids, apart from parenteral nutrition, without involving an increased risk of sepsis caused by the catheter. This pathology seems to bear more relation to the amount of time the catheter remains in place.