A preoperative protocol for the prevention of infection in children with tunnelled right atrial catheters.

The use of central venous lines has come to be widely accepted by children with cancer and their families. However, attendant infection is a cause of considerable morbidity. Coagulase-negative staphylococci, the predominant aerobic species on the skin, are now the commonest cause of catheter-related bacteremia. We introduced a protocol to reduce the colonization of the skin at the catheter insertion site. Antiseptic skin scrubs, with 4% …