Summary Central venous catheters are valuable devices for administering life-saving therapies. Catheter-related thrombosis, a major complication affecting central venous catheters, may be managed by replacing the catheter or restoring its patency. Catheter salvage is the preferred approach for managing catheter occlusions. Preliminary data suggest that alteplase may be an appropriate alternative to urokinase for the treatment of thrombotic catheter occlusions. The treatment of thrombosed catheters with alteplase continues to evolve.
Several questions remain to be answered.
Future studies are needed to answer these important questions. We wish to thank Suzanne LaVere Herbst, RN, MA and Emil N. Sidawy, MS, RPh for their contribution to this issue of Pharmacy Update .