Overview of infections associated with intravenous catheters

Practice Guidelines for Central Venous Access, 2020O'Grady, 2002Timsit, 2020

The most common cause of healthcare-associated bacteraemia is infection related to intravenous catheters and other vascular access devices. An intravenous catheter can be classified according to whether it is:

• peripherally located (ie cannula) or centrally located
• for short-term or long-term use
• single-lumen or multi-lumen.

Each of these factors alters the likely infection risk of an intravenous catheter and determines the optimal approach to managing associated infection, including bacteraemia.