[Long-term central venous catheter-related infections].

Long-term intravenous catheters (LTIVC) are standard practice for patients with chronic diseases such as cancer, digestive disease requiring total parenteral nutrition or end-stage renal disease. Even if they greatly improved patients' care, the use of LTIVC is also associated with microbial contamination and subsequent infection. These catheter-related infections are associated with morbidity, mortality and increased health-care costs. As patients carrying these LTIVC stay at home for their treatment (home parenteral nutrition for instance) or between cycles of treatment (antineoplastic chemotherapy or dialysis), it is mandatory that general practitioner and nurses are aware of recent data on the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of LTIVC-related infections.