Clinical review addresses recurrent infections with long-term catheters

A peer-reviewed state-of-the-art review provides clinicians with guidance for preventing, diagnosing and treating recurrent and relapsing bloodstream infections in patients who require long-term vascular access. Published online on October 9, 2026, in Clinical Infectious Diseases, the article synthesizes current evidence and expert clinical experience rather than reporting the results of a new clinical trial. Its framework emphasizes individualized decisions about infection treatment, catheter removal and preservation of access when that access remains necessary for care.

Patients with cancer, kidney failure, intestinal disorders and other serious conditions may depend on central venous catheters for chemotherapy, hemodialysis, intravenous nutrition and other essential therapies. A catheter-related bloodstream infection is a potentially life-threatening complication, and its management is particularly challenging when the device is both implicated in the infection and needed for ongoing treatment. Removing and replacing a catheter can be difficult when reinsertion is challenging or when few alternative access sites are available. The review therefore advises clinicians to consider the patient’s clinical condition, the infecting organism and the availability of alternative vascular-access sites rather than treating catheter removal as an automatic response.

For suspected catheter-related bloodstream infection, the authors recommend prompt blood cultures drawn from both the catheter and a peripheral vein. They also recommend multidisciplinary care involving infectious-disease specialists, vascular-access teams, pharmacists and interventional radiologists. This approach brings together expertise in infection management, device management and preservation of vascular access. The review identifies antimicrobial lock therapy as an option for appropriate patients and discusses both circumstances in which catheter removal is necessary and situations in which preserving access may be reasonable. It does not establish one strategy as appropriate for every patient, and the review’s recommendations reflect the interpretation of available evidence and expert clinical experience rather than comparative efficacy results from a single study.

Prevention is a major focus of the review. The authors discuss the use of antibiotic-impregnated catheters in high-risk patients as one approach to reducing infection risk while maintaining access required for essential treatment. Their proposed framework seeks to balance patient safety against the potential difficulties of removing and replacing a catheter that may be difficult to reinsert. The review also identifies priorities for further research, including the development of infection-resistant catheters, improved antimicrobial lock solutions and emerging technologies intended to detect, monitor and prevent catheter-related infections. These are research priorities rather than interventions whose effectiveness was newly demonstrated in the publication.

Leonard A. Mermel of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Brown University Health led the review with colleagues from institutions in the United States and Europe. Mermel disclosed serving on advisory boards for Citius Pharmaceuticals and Light Line Medical and consulting for a Johns Hopkins/AHRQ project. Kerry L. LaPlante disclosed research funding or scientific advisory relationships with several companies, while the other authors reported no potential conflicts of interest. The work is intended as practical clinical guidance for patients whose long-term devices are required for continued therapy, a setting in which infection control and preservation of vascular access must be considered together.

Subject of Research: Clinical management of recurrent catheter-related bloodstream infections requiring long-term vascular access

Article Title: New review offers guidance for managing recurrent bloodstream infections in patients with long-term catheters

Article References: New review offers guidance for managing recurrent bloodstream infections in patients with long-term catheters. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

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Keywords: catheter-related bloodstream infection, long-term vascular access, central venous catheters, recurrent infection, blood cultures, antimicrobial lock therapy, catheter removal, infection prevention, clinical review, review, offers, guidance