Three anatomical sites are commonly used to insert central venous catheters — under the collarbone, in the neck and in the groin — but one site has been linked with lower rates of bloodstream infections in a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
For the study, researchers randomly assigned 3,027 intensive care unit patients to have catheters place in one of the three locations. They then based their primary outcome measure on a composite of catheter-related bloodstream infections and symptomatic deep-vein thrombosis.
According to the researchers, eight infections or clots occurred when the catheter was placed in the vein under the collarbone, which is two to three times fewer events than occurred when the catheters were placed in a jugular vein (20 events) or in the large vein in the groin (22 events).
Placing a catheter in the vein under the collarbone is not without its own drawbacks, however; 13 patients (1.5 percent) suffered a collapsed lung when the catheter missed the vein and punctured their lung as it was inserted.
Senior researcher on the study Leonard Mermel, DO, told HealthDay News that using ultrasound to guide the placement of the catheter is one way to avoid complications like a collapsed lung.
More articles on catheters:
Compliance with CDC infection prevention recommendations for catheters falls short, survey finds
MedStar Washington NICU marks 3 years of no CLABSIs
Standard use catheter may be linked to CAUTIs: 6 things to know