Infections associated with subclavian Uldall catheters

Abstract

During a 12 mo. period, the use of a subclavian vein Uldall catheter (UC) for hemodialysis or plasmapheresis in 27 patients was studied prospectively. Ten patients had 10 UC site infections. Organisms associated with these infections included Staphylococcus epidermidis (5), S. aureus (4), Proteus mirabills (2) and enterococcus (1). The 4 S. aureus infections occurred 1, 2, 4 and 9 days after UC insertion; the 5 S. epidermidis infections occurred 6, 17, 26 and 97 days after insertion. Five patients had associated bactermias; in 1 of these patients, the bacteremia was the major cause of death. The incidence of UC site infection and associated bacteremia was higher than the incidence of infection reported with any other type of vascular access for hemodialysis. Further studies are necessary to define whether the UC should be routinely employed for temporary vascular access.