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Infection is one of the leading causes of death in haemodialysis patients. Using an “antibiotic lock”, which involves filling a catheter with an antimicrobial solution that remains within the lumen for an extended period of time, is known to be effective in preventing catheter-related bloodstream infections. However, this sort of lock is not widely used because of fears that it may promote antimicrobial resistance.
US researchers compared the effectiveness of two catheter locking solutions in 555 haemodialysis patients and found that an antibiotic lock containing low-dose gentamicin/citrate reduced mortality by 68% and catheter-related infections by 77% compared with a standard heparin solution, publish their finding in
Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
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Reducing infection rates in haemodialysis patients could be significantly improved by more widespread use of antibiotic catheter locks containing gentamicin/citrate compared with a standard heparin solution, the study shows[2]
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