A prospective study of subclavian vein catheters used exclusively for the purpose of intravenous feeding.

One hundred and seventy-eight central venous catheters inserted via the subclavian vein for the purposes of intravenous feeding were studied in 77 patients. Insertion of the catheter was complicated by puncture of the subclavian artery on three occasions and by a pneumothorax on two. Catheters remained in situ for a mean period of 10 days. Ninety-two were removed because the requirement for nutrition no longer existed and 86 were removed because of suspected infection, venous thrombosis or mechanical problems. Infective organisms were grown from 17 catheters (9.5 per cent) but other unrelated causes of infection were frequently present in the population under study. Venous thrombosis of a major upper limb vein was seen in 8 patients.