Surveillance and control of bacteraemias associated with intravascular devices

Abstract

Nosocomial infections are in general associated with medical techniques. The use of vascular accesses is an essential practice that is increasingly widespread in hospitals. The infectious problems associated with these vascular accesses are of two types: local and general (bacteraemias and distant metastatic manifestations). On the basis of the epidemiology of these processes, details are given of the actions to be carried out for the prevention, diagnosis and control of nosocomial infection associated with intravascular devices, both general and specific for the different locations and/or type of catheter employed.