Risk Factors for Totally Implantable Access Ports Associated Complications in Breast Cancer Patients

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Devices
• Surgical Complications

Background:

• Totally implantable access ports (TIAPs) are crucial for chemotherapy delivery in breast cancer (BC) patients.
• Understanding TIAP-related complications is essential for optimizing patient care and safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify risk factors for complications in breast cancer patients undergoing TIAP placement.
• To analyze the impact of catheter tip location and catheterization site on TIAP-related complications.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case-control study of 471 breast cancer patients with TIAPs.
• Comparison of demographic and clinical characteristics between patients with and without complications.
• Binary logistic regression analysis to determine independent risk factors.

Main Results:

• Catheter malposition was the most frequent complication, followed by infection and thrombosis.
• Complications were more prevalent in right-side BC cases and with left-side insertions.
• Independent risk factors included catheter tip location (OR=0.599) and catheterization site (OR=0.319). Left-side insertion significantly increased overall complication risk (OR=3.534).

Conclusions:

• Catheter tip location and catheterization site are independent predictors of TIAP complications, including malposition.
• Left-side TIAP implantation poses a higher risk; a lower catheter tip location is recommended to mitigate complications and enhance patient safety.