Hemodialysis catheter outcomes pilot study: no dressing coverage with prescribed showering.

This six-month prospective, multi-site study incorporated no dressing coverage over hemodialysis central venous catheter exit sites and compared the outcomes of two groups of patients receiving incenter hemodialysis: a shower group and a non-shower group. Outcomes included exit site infection rates, tunnel infection rates, and catheter-related bloodstream infection rates. The study enrolled 40 patients--31 patients in the shower group and nine patients in the non-shower group.