Permanent Tunneled Drainage of Ascites in Palliative Patients: Timing Needs Evaluation

Treatment of refractory ascites remains challenging. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of permanent tunneled peritoneal catheters (PTPC) in this condition. We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients in palliative situations in a tertiary referral center. Safety parameters, symptom relief, and survival were assessed. Seventy patients were included from February 2012 to January 2021. Ninety percent had ascites due to malignancy, 10% due to end-stage liver disease. The technical procedure was successful in all cases; no deaths occurred. Procedure-related infections were rare and only observed in patients without peri-interventional antibiotics. Most patients experienced symptom relief (76%) and were satisfied with the device (83%). Survival after PTPC was relatively short (median 19 days). PTPC is a safe option for refractory ascites in palliative settings with symptom relief in the majority of patients and should be considered early after onset of ascites. Periprocedural antibiotic prophylaxis may be considered to avoid procedure-related infections.