Central Venous Catheters in Dialysis: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Open Urology & Nephrology Journal
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1 June 2012 •
RESEARCH ARTICLE
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DOI: 10.2174/1874303X01205010012
Abstract
Central venous catheters (CVC) continue to remain a common modality of vascular access in end stage kidney disease patients maintained on hemodialysis. The increased morbidity and mortality associated with CVC, when compared to arteriovenous fistulas and grafts, is a serious health problem and a big challenge to the nephrology community. In this article we present the pros and cons of CVC, in addition to the different complications and excessive economical costs related to their use.
Keywords: Central venous catheters, hemodialysis, fibrin sheath, catheter infection, CVC complications, vascular access, tunneled catheters, CVC advantages.
