Tri Sodium Citrate Catheter Locking Solution 4%, 30%, 46.7% — 5 mL Suppliers & Bulk Manufacturers

Available Forms: solution

Available Strengths: 4%, 30%, 46.7% — 5 mL

Reference Brands:

Category: Nephrology

Trisodium citrate solution used to lock central venous and haemodialysis catheters between sessions, preventing clotting and reducing catheter infection. Supplied in 4%, 30% and 46.7% concentrations, which are not interchangeable: the 46.7% strength has caused cardiac arrest when accidentally flushed into the circulation. Buyers must specify the concentration required.

Product Description:

Trisodium citrate catheter lock solution is instilled into the lumens of a central venous haemodialysis catheter between sessions. It does two things. Citrate binds calcium, and because calcium is required at several steps of the clotting cascade, removing it locally prevents the catheter from clotting. Citrate also has antimicrobial activity, since bacteria need calcium and magnesium, so it reduces biofilm formation and catheter-related bloodstream infection.

Its main comparator is heparin, the traditional lock. Citrate avoids heparin's risks — systemic anticoagulation if the lock leaks into the circulation, and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia — and trials and meta-analyses suggest fewer catheter-related infections. Concentration is the critical issue. Low-concentration citrate, typically 4%, is effective and is what guidelines support. Concentrated solutions have caused fatal cardiac arrest through acute hypocalcaemia when the lock volume entered the circulation, which led regulators to act against high-percentage products.

Sourcing notes. The concentration must appear on every quotation, label and carton, and packaging should make confusion between concentrations impossible. Fill volume must match catheter lumen volume, which is why it is supplied in small single-use syringes or ampoules. Product classification differs by market: a medical device in some, a medicinal product in others.