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An ethanol lock fills an unused central line with strong alcohol for a few hours to kill germs inside it, aiming to prevent or clear a line infection. In children with cancer a randomised trial found it did not stop treatment failing and caused more blocked lines, so it is not routine.
A lock is a solution left to dwell in a catheter lumen between uses; ethanol (usually 70%) is used for its antimicrobial effect. The evidence in cancer is mixed. In the randomised, double-blind trial by Wolf and colleagues (Lancet Infect Dis 2018, NCT01472965), 94 patients aged 6 months to 24 years with cancer or a haematological disorder and a new CLABSI received 70% ethanol or heparinised saline locks for 2 to 4 hours per lumen daily for 5 days, then up to 3 days a week for 24 weeks. The trial stopped for futility: treatment failure was 44% (21 of 48) with ethanol and 43% (20 of 46) with placebo, and occlusion needing thrombolysis was more common with ethanol (58% against 33%). The authors concluded that routine ethanol lock therapy for treatment or secondary prophylaxis is not recommended in that population.
A 2023 meta-analysis of paediatric studies (10 in the meta-analysis) found fewer catheter-related infections with ethanol locks (odds ratio 0.42, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.75), mostly from before-and-after comparisons, with increased thrombosis and catheter breakage, repair and replacement noted in several studies. The SHEA 2022 CLABSI update lists antimicrobial locks as an additional approach for selected patients, such as those with limited venous access and recurrent CLABSI, and says the potential adverse effects of ethanol locks should be carefully considered before use.
Ethanol, usually 70%, is instilled to fill the catheter lumen and left to dwell for its antimicrobial effect; SHEA 2022 advises that antimicrobial lock solutions be aspirated rather than flushed after the dwell, to minimise systemic toxicity.
Query for this technology: (TITLE:"Ethanol lock therapy for central venous catheters" OR ABSTRACT:"Ethanol lock therapy for central venous catheters" OR TITLE:"Ethanol lock" OR ABSTRACT:"Ethanol lock" OR TITLE:"70% ethanol lock" OR ABSTRACT:"70% ethanol lock" OR TITLE:"Alcohol lock" OR ABSTRACT:"Alcohol lock") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Ethanol lock therapy for central venous catheters, not a curated reading list.
Shares Implanted ports for chemotherapy (port-a-cath, power-injectable, apheresis and intraperitoneal ports), Central venous access (port, PICC line) and the tag supportive-care-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Implanted ports for chemotherapy (port-a-cath, power-injectable, apheresis and intraperitoneal ports), Central venous access (port, PICC line) and the tag supportive-care-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Implanted ports for chemotherapy (port-a-cath, power-injectable, apheresis and intraperitoneal ports), Central venous access (port, PICC line) and the tag supportive-care-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), Tunnelled cuffed central venous catheters (Hickman-type lines), Implanted ports for chemotherapy (port-a-cath, power-injectable, apheresis and intraperitoneal ports), Central venous access (port, PICC line).
Shares Catheter lock solutions (heparin, taurolidine and DefenCath), Implanted ports for chemotherapy (port-a-cath, power-injectable, apheresis and intraperitoneal ports), Central venous access (port, PICC line).
Shares Catheter lock solutions (heparin, taurolidine and DefenCath), Implanted ports for chemotherapy (port-a-cath, power-injectable, apheresis and intraperitoneal ports), Central venous access (port, PICC line).
Shares Implanted ports for chemotherapy (port-a-cath, power-injectable, apheresis and intraperitoneal ports), Central venous access (port, PICC line).
Shares Implanted ports for chemotherapy (port-a-cath, power-injectable, apheresis and intraperitoneal ports), Central venous access (port, PICC line).
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