Evaluation of strategies for central venous catheter replacement

Objectives: To assess the consequences of leaving a bacterially colonized central venous catheter in place and to compare the effects of three catheter replacement strategies for catheter repair control in an animal model. Design: Prospective study. Setting: Laboratory and animal facility of a large university. Subjects: Eighteen healthy, female, adult sheep. Interventions: Radiopaque-siliconized elastomer central venous catheters were inserted into the jugular veins and colonized with either Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus epidermidis. After 7 days of infection, the catheters were either: a) exchanged using a guide wire