Antibiotic-lock is a treatment for catheter-related bloodstream infections in which a solution containing heparin and an antibiotic dwells in the lumen of the catheter or port. We tested the stability of vancomycin, cefazolin, ticarcillin-clavulanic acid, ceftazidime, or ciprofloxacin combined with heparin after incubation in vitro at 25 or 37 degrees C for intervals of up to 10 days by bioassa...

BACKGROUND Microbial infections are the most serious complications associated with indwelling central venous catheters. A catheter lock solution that is both antibacterial and antithrombotic is needed. The goal of this study was to determine whether a new catheter lock solution containing citrate, methylene blue and parabens has antimicrobial properties against planktonic bacteria and against s...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Catheter-related bloodstream infection is the greatest threat to the safety of patients on hemodialysis. Catheter lock solutions containing heparin have been linked to an increased risk of hemorrhage and thrombocytopenia. OBJECTIVES To ascertain the safety and efficacy for prevention of catheter-related bloodstream infection and catheter loss from patency failure of a n...

BACKGROUND Double lumen dialysis catheters are routinely heparin or citrate 'locked' to maintain patency. Heparin lock-related bleeding episodes and antibiotic lock-related toxicity have been reported. The aim of this study is to quantify the amount of leak during 'lock' procedures and to compare leakage for different double lumen dialysis catheters. METHODS In an experimental, in vitro study...

BACKGROUND Infection is second only to cardiovascular disease as a cause of death in the haemodialysis (HD) population. AIM : To assess the effect of introducing catheter lock solution taurolidine-citrate-heparin to all tunnelled central venous catheters (TCVCs) on staphylococcal bloodstream infection rates in patients on chronic HD. DESIGN Observational, prospective analysis of the inciden...

1. MCINTYRE CW, HULME LJ, TAAL M, FLUCK RJ: Locking of tunneled hemodialysis catheters with gentamicin and heparin. Kidney Int 66:801–805, 2004 2. DOGRA GK, HERSON H, HUTCHISON B, et al: Prevention of tunnelled haemodialysis catheter-related infections using catheter-restricted filling of gentamicin and citrate: A randomised control study. J Am Soc Nephrol 13:2133–2139, 2002 3. SAXENA AK, PANHO...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Patients on home parenteral nutrition (HPN) are at risk for catheter-related complications; mainly infections and occlusions. We have previously shown in HPN patients presenting with catheter sepsis that catheter locking with taurolidine dramatically reduced re-infections when compared with heparin. Our HPN population therefore switched from heparin to taurolidine in 2008. T...

OBJECTIVES To determine the in vitro stability and efficacy of colistin, tigecycline and levofloxacin alone or in combination with clarithromycin and/or heparin as lock solutions against biofilm-embedded Acinetobacter baumannii strains. METHODS Candidate antibiotics (colistin, tigecycline and levofloxacin) were investigated in vitro, either alone or in combination with clarithromycin and/or h...

BACKGROUND Chronic hemodialysis patients frequently require vascular access through central venous catheters (CVCs). The most significant complication of these catheters is infection. This risk can be lowered by the use of an antibiotic-Heparin lock. This study focuses on hemodialysis patients using Tunneled-cuffed catheters (TCC), to assess the rate of catheter-related infections (CRI) in cath...

Fungal catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs)-primarily due to Candida species-account for over 12% of all CRBSIs, and have been progressively increasing in prevalence. They present significant health and economic burdens, and high mortality rates. Antimicrobial catheter lock solutions are an important prophylactic option for preventing fungal CRBSIs. In this study, we compared the ef...