[Complications of central venous catheters: prospective study]

The insertion of central venous catheters (CVC) represent a very common procedure in intensive care units. The purpose of this study was to determine the via that provide the best chance for a good location of the tip of a CVC. The 563 CVCs that were inserted percutaneously and that had a radiology control were analyzed. The infraclavicular via was used for 303 (25%) CVCs; the jugular via had 142 (25%) CVCs and the supraclavicular via was used in 118 (21%) CVCs. The rate of bad location of the tip of the CVC were 17%, 6% and 9%, respectively. There was a significant difference when the insertion through infraclavicular via and jugular via were compared. There were 9 pneumothorax (1.4%). 127 CVCs were sent to microbiology laboratory, 26 (20%) had positive culture (> 15 colony forming units). The most frequent agents isolates were: Candida spp (7), S. aureus (5), S. epidermidis (4) and P. aeruginosa (3).