Percutaneously inserted silastic jugular hemodialysis catheters seldom cause jugular vein thrombosis

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Vascular Surgery
• Radiology

Background:

• Vascular access is crucial for hemodialysis in end-stage renal failure.
• Internal jugular vein cannulation is a common method for vascular access.
• Assessing the risk of jugular vein thrombosis is important for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if internal jugular vein cannulation with soft silastic hemodialysis catheters causes jugular vein thrombosis.
• To compare the incidence of thrombosis between percutaneous and surgical cannulation methods.

Main Methods:

• Doppler ultrasound examinations were performed on 96 hemodialysis patients.
• 144 catheter insertion episodes in 116 internal jugular veins were evaluated.
• Thrombosis incidence was assessed for percutaneous and surgical Quinton PermCath insertions.

Main Results:

• Two cases of internal jugular vein thrombosis were identified in 101 veins with percutaneous insertions.
• Five cases of internal jugular vein thrombosis were found in 15 veins with surgical Quinton PermCath insertions.
• The incidence of thrombosis was acceptably low for percutaneous cannulation.

Conclusions:

• Percutaneous internal jugular vein cannulation for hemodialysis access results in a low incidence of jugular vein thrombosis.
• Internal jugular vein is a suitable option for vascular access in end-stage renal failure.
• Percutaneous cannulation is associated with less venous damage compared to surgical insertion.