[Percutaneous jugular Tesio catheter useful for long-term hemodialysis: experiences in 26 patients]

Inventory of the Tesio catheter (TC), its functioning and complications.

Retrospective descriptive file investigation.

Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, the Netherlands.

From the hospital files of the patients with chronic renal insufficiency who from July 1992 until October 1995 received a TC, we collected data on indications for placing and removing, duration, complications of the TC and mortality.

Data were suitable for 26 patients, 8 men and 18 women, mean age 63 year (range: 33-79). The indications proved to be short life expectancy, failure of other vascular access and expected long catheter dialysis. The total number of days the TC was in situ was 2780 (median: 80.5: range: 15-559). Fourteen patients showed no complications, one patient had dysfunction of the TC due to thrombosis, local infection occurred around the insertion opening in five and bacteremia in seven patients. In one patient, with a prosthetic cardiac valve, the catheter had to be removed prematurely because of an infection. No deaths due to the TC occurred.

The TC appears to be a safe form for long-term haemodialysis.