Prospective evaluation of complications associated with jugular venous catheter use in a veterinary hospital

To prospectively investigate the incidence of mechanical and infectious complications associated with the use of jugular catheters and risk factors for these complications.

Data was collected over a 6-month period and risk factors associated with the occurrence of mechanical or inflammatory complications were investigated.

One hundred catheters were placed over a 6-month period, totalling 393 catheter days. Complications were seen in 39% of catheters with a total of 51 complications. Forty-one of these complications were mechanical. A total of 10 inflammatory or infectious complications were identified in eight catheters (a total of 0.03 infectious complications per catheter day). Complications were more likely to occur in patients requiring more than one attempt for placement and patients that were ASA status 3 to 5. Infectious complications were more likely in patients not having general anaesthesia for placement, those having medical rather than surgical disease and those placed out of theatre. No association was found between the skill of the person placing the catheter and risk of complication.

Mechanical complications are frequently associated with jugular catheter placement. Identification of risk factors for complications is important and warrants further study.