Use of a totally implantable drug delivery system in a university-affiliated community hospital

We reviewed our experience at the Western Reserve Care System with totally implantable drug delivery systems (IDDS) in cancer patients with vascular access problems. Fifty-one ports were placed in 50 patients. Forty-nine of the IDDS were placed under local anesthesia. One patient developed a hemothorax during placement. Two catheters were removed because of infection. Two catheters found to be occluded responded to flushing with streptokinase. All catheters remained functional up to the time of treatment completion or of the patient's death. The low morbidity and high success rates of IDDS should encourage placement early in the course of chemotherapy.