[Needleless connection valves--commentary from a clinical perspective]

Needle-less connection valves (NFCs) for infusion systems, blood drawing- or i. v. injection ports may offer significant benefits to the patient and the attending health care workers. On the other hand, a number of recent reports described a relationship between an increased incidence density of catheter-associated infections and the introduction of certain NFCs in clinical practice. Thus, the safety of the device in terms of an effective and feasible disinfection protocol for the outer membrane and absence of unintended bacterial deposits inside the device should have been confirmed with appropriate in vitro investigations. In addition, the introduction into clinical practice should be supervised by continuously performed surveillance for catheter-associated infections. Taking these prerequisites into account, NFCs may increase the safety and feasibility of intravenous therapy using central venous catheters in high-risk patients.