Shower and no-dressing technique for tunneled central venous hemodialysis catheters: a quality improvement initiative.

Self-care practices and quality-of-life nuances juxtaposed our tunneled hemodialysis central venous catheter (CVC) protocols. Despite our advice, individuals with CVCs were showering. As a quality improvement initiative, we compared the standard CVC dressing practices to the "shower and no-dressing" technique. After 1380 catheter months (n = 119) infection rates were 0.31 events per 1000 catheter days. The "shower and no-dressing" technique appears to be a safe CVC dressing option with improved quality of life, no increase in infection rates, and cost-effectiveness.