Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.  2014 Feb;47(1):26-31.

A Retrospective Clinical Study: Complications of Totally Implanted Central Venous Access Ports

• Seok JP
• Kim YJ
• Cho HM
• Ryu HY
• Hwang WJ
• Sung TY

Abstract

BACKGROUND
When managing patients who require repeated venous access, gaining a viable intravenous route has been problematic. To improve the situation, various studies on techniques for venous access have been conducted. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical results of complications following totally implanted central venous access port (TICVAP) insertion.
METHODS
A retrospective analysis was conducted on 163 patients, from December 2008 to March 2013. The occurrence of complications was studied in three separate periods of catheter use: the intraoperative period, postoperative period, and period during the treatment.
RESULTS
A total of 165 cases of TICVAP insertions involving 156 patients were included in the final analysis. There were 35 complications (21%) overall. Among these, 31 cases of complications (19%) occurred during the treatment period and the other 4 cases were intraoperative and postoperative complications (2%). There were no statistically significant differences in age and gender of the patients between the two groups to be risk factors (p=0.147, p=0.08). Past history of chemotherapy, initial laboratory findings, and the locations of TICVAP insertion also showed no statistical significance as risk factors (p>0.05).
CONCLUSION
Because the majority of complications occurred after port placement and during treatment, meticulous care and management and appropriate education are necessary when using TICVAPs.

Keyword

Central venous access device; Chemotherapy, adjuvant; Intraoperative complications; Postoperative complications

MeSH Terms

Catheters
Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
Drug Therapy
Education
Humans
Intraoperative Complications
Intraoperative Period
Postoperative Complications
Postoperative Period
Retrospective Studies*
Risk Factors