Malfunctioning and Infected Tunneled Infusion Catheters: Over-the-Wire Catheter Exchange versus Catheter Removal and Replacement

Catheter-exchange of tunneled infusion catheters results in a higher infection rate compared with removal-replacement at a new site. The rate of catheter malfunction is not significantly different between the two groups. Catheter-exchange is an alternative for patients with tunneled infusion catheters who have limited venous access, but this technique should not be expanded for use in all patients. Because of the size of this initial study, further investigation is needed to verify the results in a larger sample size.