Carreira Villamor J M, Reyes Pérez R, Pulido-Duque J M, Gorriz Gómez E, Pardo M D, Argiles Vives J M, Eyheremendy E P, Maynar Moliner M
Unidad de Radiología Vascular e Intervencionista, Hospital Nuestra Señora del Pino, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Islas Canarias.
Rev Clin Esp. 1997 Nov;197(11):740-4.
To report our experience with long term external catheters and implantable ports in the last 8 years.
From December 1987 to August 1995 a total of 617 central venous catheters were implanted in 541 patients in our Interventionist Vascular Radiology Unit, 265 men (49%) and 276 women (51%), with a mean age of 46 years. A total of 335 (54%) were partially implantable external catheters and 241 (39%) implantable ports in chest and 41 (7%) in the forearm.
A technical success--defined as the possibility of implanting the catheter--was achieved in 98% of cases. Immediate complications included 5 pneumothorax (0.8%), 11 accidental carotid artery puncture (2%) with no clinical relevance, 18 catheter misplacement (3%), and 8 vein spasm (1%). Fifty-two catheters (8%) were removed on account of infectious complications. Currently, 71 catheters are still in use (12%), 433 (70%) have been removed or the catheter was patent until patients's death.
Partially implantable central venous catheters and totally implantable ports are a safe alternative in patients requiring a central venous access for prolonged treatments. The low number of immediate complications renders the Interventionist Vascular Radiology Unit the proper place where to perform these procedures.
