Port catheter placement by nephrologists in an interventional nephrology training program

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Interventional Radiology
• Vascular Access

Background:

• Subcutaneous port catheters (PCs) are crucial for long-term venous access in patients undergoing treatments like chemotherapy.
• Ensuring safe and effective placement of PCs is paramount for patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the success rate, complication profile, and functional longevity of subcutaneous port catheters (PCs) placed by interventional nephrologists.
• To assess the safety and efficacy of PC insertion performed by trained interventional nephrologists.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 187 subcutaneous single- and double-lumen port catheters (PCs) inserted between January 2000 and August 2002.
• Analysis of procedural success, immediate and late complications, and catheter survival using Kaplan-Meier methods.
• Data collected included patient demographics, catheter-days, and reasons for catheter removal.

Main Results:

• 100% initial success rate for all 187 PC placements.
• No immediate procedural complications (hemorrhage, PE, pneumothorax) were reported.
• Low complication rate with 16 removals over 35,078 catheter-days (infection: 3, completion of chemotherapy: 7, other: 6).
• Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated 97% 30-day and 92% 1-year survival rates.

Conclusions:

• Interventional nephrologists can successfully place subcutaneous port catheters (PCs) with high efficacy.
• PC placement by trained interventional nephrologists is associated with excellent success rates and minimal complications.
• These findings support the role of interventional nephrologists in managing central venous access devices.