Central venous catheters have revolutionised the care of patients requiring long term intravenous therapy. However, the complications of infection and thrombosis remain major concerns. The author reviewed the literature to discover whether changing practice could reduce the infection rates on her unit

Following an audit on the author’s unit, staff were concerned about catheter infection rates. Nurses from the ward networked with other units and found that they were also concerned about infection and thrombosis, and searching for ways to improve catheter care. As a result, a literature review was conducted to find some solutions.