Central venous catheters: Which, when and how

Abstract

Short-term or long-term CVCs are now considered the standard of practice for the administration of chemotherapy, fluid therapy, antibiotic therapy, and parenteral nutrition. Central venous access catheters are broadly divided into tunneled or non-tunneled catheters. Tunneled catheters can be further subdivided into totally implanted and totally not implanted devices. Device selection generally depends on various factors such as availability of peripheral veins, expected duration of therapy, and desired flow rate. Ultrasound-guided access is the safest technique for central venous access compared to the landmark technique and departments should strive to for a 100% ultrasound guided access. This review gives a basic overview of the differences of CVC catheters including PICCs, Hickman-catheters and port-catheters along with the criteria for CVC selection. It will also describe technical tips on placement of CVCs. Finally, it aims to highlight complications which are associated with CVC placement and options to treat or prevent them.