Heparin vs Lepirudin in Preventing Withdrawal Occulusion

中心静脉导管对于需要慢性静脉通道的患者的护理是必不可少的，然而血栓经常在导管尖端形成并阻碍血液的排出。尽管肝素冲洗通常用于预防这种情况，但几乎没有证据表明它们比生理盐水更有效。本研究比较了标准肝素与新抗凝剂lepirudin的有效性，lepirudin在导管插入后的前3 - 4周内至少每天给予。所测量的参数是导管发生戒断闭塞的频率。

Central venous catheters are essential for the care of patients requiring chronic venous access, yet clots often develop at the catheter tip and block blood withdrawal. Although heparin flushes are routinely used to prevent this, their is little evidence that they are any more effective than saline. This study compares the effectiveness of standard heparin with flushes of a new anticoagulant, lepirudin, given at least daily for the first 3 - 4 weeks after the catheter has been inserted. The measured parameter is the frequency with which the catheters develop withdrawal occlusion. Fifty-one patients have been accrued on this study, which is about to be terminated because our essential research nurse has left our department and is not being replaced. The last patient accrued has just completed her period of observation. Once her chart is reviewed for incidences of catheter withdrawal occlusion, the study will be unblinded to determine whether it had sufficient power to demonstrate significant differences between the effect