Table 2.
Tunneled central venous catheter access characteristics
| Catheter Characteristic | All | Elderly (≥75 yr) | Nonelderly (18–74 yr) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial catheter site, n (%) | 0.42 | |||
| Internal jugular or subclavian | 442 (95.2) | 87 (96.6) | 355 (94.9) | |
| Femoral | 2 (0.4) | 1 (1.1) | 1 (0.3) | |
| Internal jugular/subclavian or femoral | 19 (4.0) | 3 (3.3) | 16 (4.2) | |
| Translumbar | 1 (0.2) | 0 | 1 (0.3) | |
| Initial catheter lock solution, n (%) | 0.15 | |||
| Heparin | 369 (79.5) | 79 (87.8) | 290 (77.5) | |
| Saline | 7 (1.5) | 1 (1.1) | 6 (1.6) | |
| Gentamicin citrate | 20 (4.3) | 3 (3.3) | 17 (4.6) | |
| Heparin or gentamicin citrate | 68 (14.7) | 7 (7.8) | 61 (16.3) | |
| Catheter-related bloodstream infection events (total) | 208 | 18 | 190 | |
| Catheter-da | 188 (104, 386) | 252 (130, 446) | 183 (99, 372) | |
| Catheter-related bloodstream infection events per 1000 catheter-da | 1.70 (4.2) | 0.55 (1.6) | 1.97 (4.6) | <0.001 |
a
Data expressed in median (25th, 75th percentiles).