Use of the Broviac central venous catheter for intravenous antibiotic therapy in the orthopaedic patient.

Broviac central venous catheters were placed in twenty patients who required long-term intravenous antibiotics for the treatment of osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, or an infected total joint arthroplasty. As a group, the twenty patients completed a total of 1,131 days with the catheter in place. There was only one catheter-related complication: extrusion of the Dacron cuff after removal of the catheter. Six antibiotic-related complications occurred, all of which resolved when the antibiotic was changed. No patient had sepsis related to use of the catheter, breakage of the catheter, or thrombosis. Twelve patients had part of their antibiotic treatment on an outpatient basis.