CONTEXT Central venous access device (CVAD) locks are routine interventions used to prevent and treat complications, such as infection, thrombosis, and catheter occlusion.

OBJECTIVE To compare and rank lock-solutions for prevention or treatment of complications in pediatrics. Design Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

DATA SOURCES Five databases and 2 clinical trial registries were searched.

STUDY SELECTION Published and unpublished randomized controlled trials that enrolled pediatric patients with a CVAD and compared the effectiveness of lock-solutions.

DATA EXTRACTION Data extraction was conducted by 2 reviewers. Odds ratio (OR) for prevention or treatment of CVAD-associated bloodstream infection (BSI), thrombosis, occlusion, CVAD-failure, and mortality were calculated, with point estimates ranking lock-solutions.

RESULTS Twenty-nine studies were included. Chelating agents and antibiotic locks given as prevention were associated with lower odds (OR: 0.11; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02–0.67; moderate-quality; OR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.05–0.79, high-quality, respectively) of CVAD-associated BSI compared with heparinized saline (reference). Preventative thrombolytic agents had lower odds (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.44–0.93; low-quality) of CVAD occlusion, whereas ethanol had higher odds (OR: 2.84, 95% CI: 1.31–6.16; high-quality) compared with heparinized saline (reference). No lock solution had effects on thrombosis prevention or treatment, CVAD-failure, CVAD-associated BSI treatment failure, or mortality.

LIMITATIONS There was substantial uncertainty around the point estimates because of the limited number of studies for outcomes and study heterogeneity. More high-quality studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of lock solutions.

CONCLUSIONS Chelating agents and antibiotic locks may be effective for CVAD-associated BSI prevention in pediatrics. Thrombolytic agents can be an option for CVAD occlusion prevention, whereas ethanol may not be recommended.