What are the complications associated with indwelling vascular catheters in patients on TPN?
There are mechanical complications with indwelling catheters related to the experience of the person inserting the catheter, the site of insertion and the catheter material. Possible complications associated with indwelling catheters are infection, arterial laceration, pneumothorax, subclavian or superior vena cava thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, and catheter embolism. Compared with small peripheral venous catheters, noncuffed central venous catheters are associated with the highest rate of septicemia, which ranges from 4% to 14%. Vascular catheters are a major source of nosocomial sepsis. Infection is one of the leading complications of vascular catheters and are the major source of nosocomial sepsis due to Staphylococcus epidermis, Staphlococcus aureus, and Candida species. Risk factors predisposing to infections are listed in the table . Several studies have shown that placement and maintenance of catheters by a skilled infusion-therapy team can decrease the infection rate fivefold to
