A nurse led central line insertion service

Abstract

Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANP) are developing their role in order to insert temporary and permanent central venous catheters to facilitate haemodialysis. Two hundred and eighty-nine central venous catheters (CVC) were inserted over a two-year period. The ANP inserted 117 CVC with 172 CVC inserted by the nephrology medical team. Using non-parametric independent two-group comparison Mann Whitney test and Chi-Squared test, the two groups were compared for specific outcomes. When comparing both groups with respect to CVC longevity, elective and non-elective removal along with infection (exit site and systemic) no statistical difference between the ANP and the nephrology medical staff could be found.