Treatment and prevention of catheter‐related infections in haemodialysis patients

The most important catheter‐related complications, which determine method survival, are infection and dysfunction. In particular, infectious episodes are in some studies the leading cause for untimely catheter removal and for catheter‐related morbidity but also for morbidity in dialysis patients. For instance, in one study involving 988 dialysis patients it was estimated that the relative risk for bacteraemia was increased more than 7‐fold in patients with catheters than in those with AV fistulas [1]. Therefore, identifying appropriate treatment regimens of documented infections, and of measures aimed to prevent infections, is of major clinical relevance. We have to distinguish between catheters meant for temporary use (i.e. not more than a few weeks) and catheters meant to be in place for months, maybe years. We will briefly touch first upon temporary catheters and review the updated KDOQI guidelines, which were released in early 2001. Subsequently we will address the issue of treatment and prevention of infections in permanent catheters [2].