Study Objective: Groshong catheters are popular venous access devices, in part because they can be maintained with only weekly saline flushes. Data from a recent study suggest an apparent decrease in the rate of withdrawal occlusion malfunction in Groshong catheters flushed weekly with heparinized saline. However, a prospective, randomized trial is required to fully evaluate the differences between flushing with normal saline versus flushing with heparinized saline. Methods: This study will randomly assign up to 132 subjects to either normal saline or heparinized saline flushes. Comparisons will be made between the groups for frequency of treatment for catheter occlusion with urokinase during the first 3 months of catheterization. Summary of Findings: To date, 20 subjects have been accrued for this protocol.
