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Tunnelling of two central venous catheters inserted via a single venipuncture
B Pigot1, J Petit, M L Eustache
1Département d'Anesthésie, Réanimation Chirurgicale, Hôpital Charles Nicolle, Rouen, France.
Abstract:
Two central venous catheters were inserted into the subclavian or internal jugular vein using a single puncture and tunnelled with two different subcutaneous pathways in 32 critically ill patients; 15 of them underwent this procedure immediately after a tracheostomy. The procedure was carried out without significant technical difficulties. Separate removal of one of the catheters was performed easily in 5 cases. Cultures were positive in 21% of 42 catheters from 21 patients; Staphylococcus epidermidis was isolated from 7 catheters. Separate tunnelling of two central venous lines inserted via a single venipuncture can be used in critically ill patients needing multiple central venous access.