Introduction: The use of central venous catheters is common in health care because they allow the measurement of central venous pressure, the intake of large amounts of fluid, electrolyte balance, blood sampling, transfusions, parenteral nutrition and intravenous medications. There are several types of central venous catheters, the most used being the peripherally inserted one and the central venous catheter with a subcutaneous port Purpose: The purpose is to present central venous catheters and the frequency of infection and occlusion in the peripherally inserted central venous catheter and the central venous catheter with a subcutaneous port. Methods: A descriptive research was carried out along with a literature review in Slovene, English and Italian. The literature was obtained in the Digital Library of the University of Ljubljana on the following international databases: Science Direct, Google Scholar and PubMed. The literature search was conducted between November 2020 and September 2021. Results: The frequency of infections in peripherally inserted venous catheters ranges from 0.0% to 25.3% and is higher than the frequency of infections in central venous catheters with a subcutaneous port, where it ranges from 0.0% to 8.1%. The frequency of occlusions in peripherally inserted venous catheters ranges from 1.0% to 8.3% and is higher than the frequency of occlusions in central venous catheters with a subcutaneous port, where it ranges from 0.0% to 3.6%. Patients are satisfied with both types of central venous catheters. They report fewer negative properties in the case of a central venous catheter with a subcutaneous port than in the case of a peripherally inserted one. The patients’ well-being is influenced by quality and professional care as well as by adequately informed healthcare professionals. Discussion and conclusion: Infections and occlusions of central venous catheters endanger the patients’ health. Healthcare professionals must know the possible complications and the ways to prevent them, they must take care of the condition of the catheter as well as the well-being of the patient.
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