Complications associated with intraperitoneal chemotherapy catheters

The goal of this work was to determine the complication rate and any predisposing risk factors associated with subcutaneous intraperitoneal (ip) catheters used in the treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 301 patients who had a subcutaneous Bardport catheter placed for administration of ip chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan--Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) from December 1989 to May 1997.

Thirty (10%) patients were identified as having catheter-related complications, with 19 (6.3%) experiencing inflow obstruction and 11 (3.6%) experiencing infection. Only 21 of 301 (7%) required cessation of chemotherapy prior to its expected completion, with 14 (4.6%) occurring in the malfunction group and 7 (2.3%) in the infection group. Three hundred thirteen patients received an ip catheter; however, 12 patients who received their ip chemotherapy elsewhere were excluded when determining the complication rate. Overall, 218 of 313 (69.6%) catheters were placed at the time of laparotomy, 61 of 313 (19.5%) catheters were placed at the time of laparoscopy, and 34 of 313 (10.9%) were placed as a separate procedure. In the malfunction group, 18 of 19 (94.7%) patients had their catheters placed at the time of laparotomy, none were placed at the time of laparoscopy, and 1 of 19 (5.3%) was placed as a separate procedure. In the infection group, 8 of 11 (72.7%) catheters were placed at laparotomy, 2 of 11 (18.3%) were placed at the time of laparoscopy, and 1 of 11 (9.0%) was placed as a separate procedure. Complications occurred in 3 of 54 (5.5%) patients who received platinum alone, 11 of 134 (8.2%) who received platinum in combination, 2 of 43 (4.7%) who received paclitaxel alone, 13 of 61 (21.3%) who received mitoxantrone alone or in combination, and 1 of 9 (11.1%) who received other regimens.

Subcutaneous ip catheters are associated with a lower rate of catheter-related complications than previously reported, perhaps due in part to both avoiding insertion of ip catheters at the time of bowel surgery and placing ip catheters at the time of laparoscopy.