The best way to prevent infectious complications in dialysis patients is to avoid the use of central-venous catheters (CVC), when possible. However, this is not possible for some patients, and in those cases the adoption of prophylaxis protocols, early diagnosis and effective treatment of infectious complications are essential to improve outcomes. These are some of the conclusions reported in an article in the Journal of Vascular Access, which provides a comprehensive review of literature related to hemodialysis catheter – related infections as well as a discussion of prevention, diagnosis criteria and management of CVC-related infections in hemodialysis patients.