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[Complications of an intravenous administration system (Port-A-Cath) in children with an oncologic disease]
S A van de Graaf1, P A Voûte, A Vos
1Rijksuniversiteit Limburg, Medische Faculteit, Maastricht.
Insights
Complications frequently arise with Port-A-Cath (PAC) systems in children, with infection and obstruction being most common. While many complications are treatable, some necessitate PAC removal, highlighting the need for system improvements.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Medical Devices
- Vascular Access
Background:
- Port-A-Cath (PAC) systems offer convenient venous access for children undergoing treatment.
- Improving quality of life is a key benefit for oncological patients using PACs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail the complications associated with Port-A-Cath (PAC) systems in pediatric patients.
- To assess the incidence and types of PAC-related complications in children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of patient records.
- Examined 70 PAC systems implanted in 66 children (ages 1-20) with malignant diseases.
- Data collected from January 1989 to January 1992.
Main Results:
- 36% of patients experienced at least one complication.
- Infection (16 instances) and obstruction (8 instances) were the most frequent complications.
- Other complications included tip dislocation, infected hematoma, leakage, thrombosis, and infiltrate. Approximately 50% of complications were successfully treated, while others required PAC removal.
Conclusions:
- PAC systems significantly improve the quality of life for pediatric oncology patients by providing reliable venous access.
- Complications are a regular occurrence with PAC use in children.
- Further refinement of PAC systems is necessary to minimize complication rates.
Objective:
To describe complications of the use of an intravenous administration system (Port-A-Cath; PAC) in children.
Design:
Retrospective record analysis.
Setting:
Emma Children's Hospital, the Children Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam.
Method:
From January 1989 to January 1992, 66 children aged 1 to 20 years were treated via a PAC system for malignant disease. 70 PACs were implanted with a cumulative period of use of 27,981 days.
Results:
In one-third of the patients (36%) one or more complications arose. Most common were infection (16 times) and obstruction (8). Tip dislocation, secondarily infected haematoma, leakage, thrombosis and infiltrate occurred occasionally. Almost 50% of the complications could be treated effectively. In the other cases the PAC system had to be removed.
Conclusion:
The advantage of a PAC for oncological patients is the improvement of the quality of life, as it provides a simple and painless access to the venous system. Complications occur regularly, however. Reduction of the number of complications should be the start of further perfection of the PAC system.