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Femoral Arterial and Venous Catheterization for Blood Sampling, Drug Administration and Conscious Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Measurements
Published on: January 24, 2012
Central venous catheter placement in patients with disorders of hemostasis
H Mumtaz1, V Williams, M Hauer-Jensen
1Department of Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Science, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
Insights
Central venous catheterization is safe for patients with bleeding disorders. Low platelet counts are the main predictor of bleeding complications, which are infrequent and manageable.
Area of Science:
- Medical procedures
- Hematology
- Vascular access
Background:
- Patients needing central venous access often have hemostasis disorders.
- Identifying bleeding risk factors after central venous catheterization is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine factors predicting bleeding complications in patients undergoing central venous catheterization.
- To assess the safety of central venous access in patients with hemostasis disorders.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 2,010 central venous catheter placements (1997-1999).
- Data collected included patient demographics, coagulation status (platelet count, INR, aPTT), catheter details, and bleeding events.
- Analysis focused on patients with underlying disorders of hemostasis.
Main Results:
- 330 catheterizations were in patients with hemostasis disorders; 88 had uncorrected coagulopathy.
- Bleeding complications occurred in 3 of 88 patients with uncorrected coagulopathy.
- A low platelet count (<50 x 10(9)/L) was the only significant predictor of bleeding complications.
Conclusions:
- Central venous access is safe for patients with hemostasis disorders.
- Bleeding complications are infrequent even in patients with low platelet counts and are easily managed.
Background:
Patients requiring central venous access frequently have disorders of hemostasis. The aim of this study was to identify factors predictive of bleeding complications after central venous catheterization in this group of patients.
Methods:
A retrospective analysis of all central venous catheters placed over a 2-year period (1997 to 1999) at our institution were performed. The age, sex, clinical diagnosis, most recent platelet count, prothrombin international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), catheter type, the number of passes to complete the procedure, and bleeding complications were retrieved from the medical records.
Results:
In a 2-year period, 2,010 central venous catheters were placed in 1,825 patients. Three hundred and thirty placements were in patients with disorders of hemostasis. In 88 of the 330 patients, the underlying coagulopathy was not corrected before catheter placement. In these patients, there were 3 bleeding complications requiring placement of a purse string suture at the catheter entry site. In the remaining 242 patients, there was 1 bleeding complication. Of the variables analyzed, only a low platelet count (<50 x 10(9)/L) was significantly associated with bleeding complications.
Conclusion:
Central venous access procedures can be safely performed in patients with underlying disorders of hemostasis. Even patients with low platelet counts have infrequent (3 of 88) bleeding complications, and these problems are easily managed.
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