| Study | Reason for exclusion |
|---|---|
| Abdelkefi 2007 | (1) Study group consisted mainly of adults. (2) Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections. (3) Coated CVCs. |
| Abdelkefi 2008 | (1) Study group consisted mainly of adults. (2) Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections. (3) Coated CVCs. |
| Akyüz 2010 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections, with taurolidine locks. |
| Al‐Hathal 1989 | Observational study of CVC‐related complications; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Albanese 1993 | Review of CVCs in children with cancer. |
| Anoop 2009 | Review of the role of ALT in the treatment of CVC‐related infections. |
| Aquino 2002 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections. |
| Arora 2010 | (1) Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections. (2) Systematic review. |
| Ascher 1993 | (1) Case report. (2) Urokinase flushes with systemic antibiotics. |
| Ashkenazi 1992 | Observational study of risk factors for mortality due to bacteraemia and fungaemia in childhood. |
| Atay 2004 | Systemic antibiotic treatment of CVC‐related infection; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Attal 1991 | (1) Adult study population. (2) Investigates prevention of Gram‐positive infections. (3) Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Averbuch 2008 | (1) Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. (2) Retrospective study. |
| Backeljauw 1991 | (1) Case report. (2) Treatment of CVC‐related thrombus. |
| Bagnall‐Reeb 1990 | Observational study of CVC‐related complications; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Ball 1993 | Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Barriga 1997 | Prevention of CVC‐related infections. |
| Berger 2004 | Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Beutel 2005 | Review of diagnosis and treatment of CVC‐related infections. |
| Boughton 1989 | (1) Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. (2) Febrile neutropenic participants. |
| Butt 2004 | (1) Adult study population. (2) Observational study of CVC‐related infections; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Castagnola 2001 | (1) Case report. (2) Observational study of bacillus sphaericus bacteraemia. |
| Castagnola 2010 | Investigates diagnosis of CVC‐related infections. |
| Cesaro 2009 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related complications. |
| Chamberlain 2005 | (1) Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. (2) Audit investigating treatment of febrile neutropenia. |
| Chatzinikolaou 2003 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections. |
| Chen 2009 | (1) Diagnosis of CVC‐related infections. (2) Study group consisted mainly of adults. |
| Chen 2011 | (1) Adult study population. (2) Observational study of CVC‐related infections; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Cherif 2004 | (1) Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. (2) Adult study population. (3) Febrile neutropenic patients. |
| Cherrick 1995 | (1) Case report. (2) Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Chiu 1998 | Observational study of bacteraemia in children with neutropenic fever. |
| Daghistani 1996 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections. |
| Dias 2008 | (1) Investigates an outbreak of Pseudomonas putida and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections associated with contaminated heparin catheter‐lock solution. (2) Heterogeneous treatments; 27 different treatment regimens. |
| Dillon 2004 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related complications. |
| Doganis 2007 | Observational study of CVC‐related infections; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Douard 1991 | (1) Investigates diagnosis of CVC‐related infections. (2) Heterogeneous group, including selected cases treated with ALT and systemic antibiotics (n = 2) or ALT alone (n = 3). |
| Dunn 2008 | Children with malignancies were not included in this study. |
| Elting 1990 | Observational study of Xanthomonas and non‐aeruginosa Pseudomonas species. |
| Giacchino 2007 | Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Haffar 1984 | Children with malignancies were not included in this study. |
| Haimi‐Cohen 2001 | Pharmacokinetics study. |
| Handrup 2010 | Observational study of CVC‐related infections; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Henrickson 2000 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections and thrombotic events. |
| Jones 2001 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections and thrombotic events. |
| Kalmanti 2002 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related complications. |
| Kaplan 2003 | Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Kefeli 2009 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related complications. |
| Kethireddy 2008 | (1) Investigates prevention of CVC‐related complications. (2) Meta‐analysis. |
| Ketley 1995 | (1) Study group consisted mainly of adults. (2) Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Kinsey 1998 | Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Lee 2005 | Systematic review. |
| Ley 1996 | (1) Adult study population. (2) Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Menichetti 1990 | (1) Adult study population. (2) Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Norville 2006 | Observational study of hub colonisation; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| O'Brien 1988 | (1) Study group consisted mainly of adults. (2) Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Paulus 2005 | Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Raad 1997 | (1) Adult study population. (2) Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections. (3) Coated CVCs. |
| Raad 2003 | (1) Study group consisted mainly of adults. (2) Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Reilly 2004 | Observational study of atypical mycobacterial infections in children. |
| Riikonen 1993 | Observational study in children with CVCs and febrile neutropenia. |
| Rubin 1999 | Observational study of treatment of CVC‐related infections; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Russell 1990 | Observational study of CVC‐related complications; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Ruud 2006 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related thrombosis. |
| Safdar 2007 | (1) Adult study population. (2) Observational study of polymicrobial bloodstream infections. |
| Safdar 2006 | (1) Adult study population (2) Investigates prevention of CVC related infections, with vancomycin lock or flush solutions |
| Sanchez‐Munoz 2005 | Adult study population. |
| Scheinemann 2010 | Diagnosis of CVC‐related infections. |
| Schierholz 2010 | (1) Adult study population. (2) Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections. (3) Coated CVCs. |
| Schmid 1991 | (1) Mainly adult study population. (2) Observational study of CVC‐related complications; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Schwartz 1990 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections. |
| Shivnan 1991 | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections. |
| Simon 1994 | (1) Mainly adult study population. (2) Observational study of treatment of CVC‐related infections; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Simon 2006 | Review. |
| Simon 2008a | Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections with taurolidine‐citrate lock solution. |
| Simon 2008b | (1) Review. (2) Investigates prevention of CVC‐related complications. |
| Smith 1989 | Systemic antibiotic treatment; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Snaterse 2010 | (1) Investigates prevention of CVC‐related infections. (2) Review. |
| Souza Dias 2008 | Treatment of colonised CVCs; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Stoneham 2007 | Diagnosis of CVC‐related infections. |
| Tobiansky 1997 | Observational study of CVC‐related complications in children with and without cancer; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Viscoli 1988 | Review. |
| Wiener 1992 | Observational study of CVC‐related complications; lock treatments not evaluated. |
| Wiernikowski 1991 | Investigates prevention of CVC colonisation. |
ALT: antibiotic lock treatment; CVC: central venous catheter