Antimicrobial Solution or Saline Solution in Maintaining Catheter Patency and Preventing Catheter-Related Blood Infections in Patients With Malignancies

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Diagnosis of a malignancy
• Indwelling catheter (central or peripheral) with external lumen(s) that has been in place for ≤ 7 days
• * Inpatients must have each lumen of the catheter able to be locked with the study solution uninterruptedly for a minimum of one hour per day
• * Outpatients must agree to flush and relock the catheter each day
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Willing and able to follow the instructions required to complete the study
• No local or systemic infection as defined by the evidence of fever (e.g., body temperature ≥ 38.0 degrees C) within 24 hours including any of the following:
• * White Blood Count (WBC) ≥ 12,000/mm³ or ≤ 4,000/mm³ OR with a differential count showing ≥ 10% bands
• * Tachycardia defined as pulse rate ≥ 100 bpm
• * Tachypnea defined as respiratory rate \> 20 breaths/minute
• * Hypotension defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) ≤ 90 mm Hg
• * Signs and symptoms of localized catheter-related infection (e.g., tenderness and/or pain, erythema, swelling, or purulent exudate within 2 cm of entry site)
• No occluded (partially or totally) catheter defined as inability to either withdraw blood or instill 3 cc of fluid without resistance through any catheter lumen
• No known alcohol dehydrogenase deficiency
• No known history of allergic reaction to ethanol, trimethoprim (including trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole), or any other components within the lock solution formulation
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No renal failure or creatinine level ≥ 2.0 mg/dL
• No known heart failure or ejection fraction ≤ 25%
• No alcohol dependency
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Concurrent investigational chemotherapy agents allowed
• * No concurrent non-chemotherapy investigational protocols
• Not requiring multiple central venous catheters
• * Multiple lumens in a single catheter allowed
• No catheter coated or impregnated with heparin or antimicrobial or antiseptic agent
• No concurrent routine treatment of the underlying disease that will interfere with the lock solution
• No concurrent disulfiram or metronidazole