Use of right atrial catheter for prolonged iv support in cancer patients

A right atrial catheter has proven to be a well-tolerated technical advance for patients requiring prolonged vascular access. It is easily inserted and suited for ambulatory maintenance by the patient. Catheters are utilized for a wide spectrum of iv medications with an acceptably low complication rate. Most significantly, the infection rate is negligible, despite severely compromised hosts. Their use should be considered for any patient in whom problems with vascular access are anticipated. This report comprises our experience with the first 70 catheters in 66 patients in the Hematology/Oncology service.