Antimicrobial Solution or Saline Solution in Maintaining Catheter Patency and Preventing Catheter-Related Blood Infections in Patients With Malignancies

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Diagnosis of a malignancy * Indwelling catheter (central or peripheral) with external lumen(s) that has been in place for ≤ 7 days * Inpatients must have each lumen of the catheter able to be locked with the study solution uninterruptedly for a minimum of one hour per day * Outpatients must agree to flush and relock the catheter each day PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * Willing and able to follow the instructions required to complete the study * No local or systemic infection as defined by the evidence of fever (e.g., body temperature ≥ 38.0 degrees C) within 24 hours including any of the following: * White Blood Count (WBC) ≥ 12,000/mm³ or ≤ 4,000/mm³ OR with a differential count showing ≥ 10% bands * Tachycardia defined as pulse rate ≥ 100 bpm * Tachypnea defined as respiratory rate \> 20 breaths/minute * Hypotension defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) ≤ 90 mm Hg * Signs and symptoms of localized catheter-related infection (e.g., tenderness and/or pain, erythema, swelling, or purulent exudate within 2 cm of entry site) * No occluded (partially or totally) catheter defined as inability to either withdraw blood or instill 3 cc of fluid without resistance through any catheter lumen * No known alcohol dehydrogenase deficiency * No known history of allergic reaction to ethanol, trimethoprim (including trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole), or any other components within the lock solution formulation * Not pregnant or nursing * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No renal failure or creatinine level ≥ 2.0 mg/dL * No known heart failure or ejection fraction ≤ 25% * No alcohol dependency PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * Concurrent investigational chemotherapy agents allowed * No concurrent non-chemotherapy investigational protocols * Not requiring multiple central venous catheters * Multiple lumens in a single catheter allowed * No catheter coated or impregnated with heparin or antimicrobial or antiseptic agent * No concurrent routine treatment of the underlying disease that will interfere with the lock solution * No concurrent disulfiram or metronidazole