Tunnelled central venous catheter-related infection in cardiothoracic critical care

Tunnelled central venous cannulae (CVC) are used in cardiothoracic (CT) critical care for long-term inotrope, antibiotic and renal replacement therapy (RRT). The incidence of bloodstream-related infection (BSI) related to all types of CVC is between 2.9 and 11.3 per 1,000 catheter-days [1]. In CT or cardiology practice the incidence for all CVC-related infection is 2.9–4.5 per 1,000 catheter-days. The incidence of BSI is reduced using tunnelled CVC, although there are little published data on the incidence of BSI in tunnelled CVC in CT critical care. CVC-related infection has been recognised as a priority in the UK initiative 'Saving Lives' [2]. We reviewed tunnelled CVC-related infection in a tertiary UK CT centre with a significant transplant population.