Experience with subcutaneous infusion ports in three hundred patients

Subcutaneous infusion ports (SIP) were inserted for chronic venous access during 329 procedures in 300 patients over the past five years at the University of Michigan Medical Center, with a total follow-up experience of 318 patient years. Seventy-four per cent of the SIP were surgically implanted while patients were hospitalized. The SIP were used for chemotherapeutic agents (83.0 per cent), blood products (29.0 per cent) or hyperosmolar total parenteral nutrition (8.5 per cent) and accessed a median of three occasions. Eighty-four per cent were used in an outpatient setting at least part of the time. Thirty-nine per cent of SIP were associated with complications, including local infection or sepsis (16.4 per cent), thrombosis of the catheter or central vein (9.7 per cent) and extravasation from the port secondary to needle dislodgement (6.4 per cent). The risk of complication was slightly higher in those SIP first used ten to 14 days after placement as compared with those used earlier or later (p less than 0.05). In 23 of 32 episodes, clinically diagnosed local infection unassociated with systemic sepsis or skin necrosis was successfully treated without removal of the port using aggressive intravenous and oral antibiotics. Treatment of thrombosis of the catheter with either urokinase or streptokinase infusion was successful in ten of 15 attempts. Seventy-two (22 per cent) of SIP were eventually removed, either after completion of the chemotherapy (20) or because of a complication (52) with 29 SIP being replaced. There was no correlation between the risk of infection or thrombosis and the perioperative use of antibiotics, frequency of SIP use or preoperative white blood cell count, platelet count, coagulation profile, blood urea nitrogen or albumen concentration. SIP provide an excellent method of chronic venous access, having a lower rate of infection and thrombosis in historical comparison with external vascular access devices.