How can I lower the risk of infection from a catheter?

If you happen to be lucky enough to need a catheter during a hospital stay, keep a sharp eye out. Contaminated catheters used to draw blood or supply nutrients or medications cause about 250,000 patient infections every year. Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center found that using antiseptic-coated catheters—and being extra careful to maintain the catheter's sterility—can greatly lower your odds of picking up an infection this way. Watch how your nurses and doctors handle catheters; often they're accidentally contaminated after a nurse or doc removes it from the sterile bag but then lays it on the bed momentarily while adjusting the patient.