The suitability of the femoral vein for permanent vascular access

In our dialysis unit, we commonly position permanent catheters (the Tesio twin catheter) in femoral veins with 'high' exit sites, in the abdominal area. We prefer this method because of its intrinsic safety in patients immediately requiring hemodialysis (HD), because there is no need for ultrasound guidance and a low incidence of complications during and after positioning. In addition, we consider that this method is suitable for older patients without good native vessels for an arteriovenous fistula (AVF). Sixty-nine femoral catheters were positioned in 61 patients (mean age 70.8 yrs): 307 observational months/patients (mean duration 4.45 months) demonstrated the following results: a) no incidents during catheter positioning; b) four iliac-femoral thromboses (in three cases complete recanalization with heparin treatment); c) two catheters were removed due to an infection of the tunnel; d) no generalized, life-threatening sepsis. Therefore, we recommend this solution as a 'bridge-access' between the immediate need for HD and the successive best strategy for the treatment of end-stage renal disease (ESRD).