Subcutaneous venous reservoir implant: our experience in 1200 cases

We present our experience in subcutaneous venous reservoir (SVR) implanting, laying emphasis on the surgical technique, the protocol followed for assessing difficulty, implant care and per- and post-implant complications and their management. Between March 1996 and December 2002 we installed 1200 SVRs on an outpatient basis, with subsequent result follow-up. The reservoir was successfully installed by the standard procedure in 99.33% of cases (1194), while in the remaining six patients (0.67%) the participation of the Intervention Radiology Department was required for correct implantation. Results were excellent with a morbidity of 3.3% and we had to single out two cases of immediate infection (0.16%), nine of tardive infection (over three months); twelve cases of pneumothorax (1%); seven episodes of venous thrombosis (0.58%) and four cases of catheter migration (0.3%). SVR implanting is possible on an outpatient basis but requires strict measures of asepsis and an experienced team and personnel responsible for its handling and maintenance, although there are a small number of complications inherent in the patient's general state.