Long-term vascular access devices

Introduced in the 1970s, long-term vascular access devices are used in both adults and children, with about 500,000 devices placed annually. This integrative review of research on dressings to minimize infectious catheter-related complications showed that current practices were adapted from knowledge derived from short-term central venous and peripheral catheters without thorough investigation. Summary and critique of recent, as well as older significant studies, provide guidance for future research. Specifically, future research should demonstrate greater confidence in outcome measures with attention to reliability of laboratory methods, diagnostic criteria, and interrater reliability. Continuing research efforts are needed to capture unique design features of various devices, qualify device performance across prolonged time, examine nuances within patient subgroups, and address underrepresented patients and settings. Confounding and interacting variables require greater attention in study design and analysis.