Ethanol Lock Therapy Reduces Central Venous Catheter Infection Rates

One national patient safety goal is to reduce the rate of central venous catheter (CVC) infections. Patients with intestinal failure who receive total parenteral nutrition are among those at highest risk for CVC infections. To examine whether ethanol catheter lock therapy reduces CVC infection rates, researchers retrospectively compared infection rates before and after introduction of ethanol lock therapy in a total of 23 children with intestinal failure and prior CVC infections at an intestinal rehabilitation clinic in Boston. The ethanol regimen involved 70% ethanol locks instilled three times per week in CVCs.

The median rate of CVC infections decreased significantly from 9.9 per 1000 catheter-days before the introduction of ethanol lock …