Incidence of Central Venous Catheter (CVC)-Infections in Patients with Acute Leukemia

Central venous catheters have become an essential tool for an appropriate management of patient s with acute leukemia. CVC-related infections may cause significant morbidity as a source of nosocomial infecti ons. Data re­ garding the incidence are rar e in patients with acute leukemia and neutropenia (<500/ Jll ). Patients and Methods. We analyzed non­ tunneled CVC in 58 pati ents with acute leuke­ mia (22 m/36 f) within 119 chemotherapy cycles from 4/96 to 1/98 . Proven CVC-related infecti on was the isolation of th e same or­ ganism from peripheral blood and CVC-tip. CVC-infection was suspicious, resp ectively possible when exit-s ite inflammation and positive blood culture respective organisms typical for CVC-infect ion were observed.