Surveillance of Central Venous Catheter Related Infection Protocol

Central Venous Catheters (CVCs) are the leading cause of device related bacteraemia. CVCs are indicated for the repeated administration of chemotherapy, antibiotics, parental feeding, blood products, and for venous access during renal replacement therapy (RRT). They are recommended for patients in whom long term (>30 days) central venous access is anticipated or where intensive access is required. Although these devices provide life saving vascular access, their invasive nature puts these already vulnerable patients at risk from life threatening local and systemic infections.

This protocol is intended for use by infection control teams, nurses, clinicians and all other personnel who are involved in CVC surveillance in Scotland.