Impact of dressing materials on central venous catheter infection rates.

Transparent, semipermeable, polyurethane dressings have become widely accepted for dressing central venous catheter (CVC) insertion sites. However, there have been differing results in terms of their association with microbial growth under the dressing and the risk of subsequent CVC-associated infection. This study describes our positive experience in terms of the impact of a highly permeable transparent dressing on CVC-associated infection among patients at our facility.