A prospective observational study of the outcome of central venous catheterization in 100 patients

CONTEXT: To Study the outcome following central vein catheterization in patients receiving chemotherapy. AIMS: To Study the outcome of central venous catheterization in terms of difficulty during insertion, duration, incidence of infections and other complications and reasons for removal. SETTINGS AND DESIGNS: Prospective observational study conducted in 100 patients attending to Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Both onco-medical and onco-surgical patients who required insertion of central venous catheters were enrolled after ethical approval from June 2008 to November 2010. The study comprised 100 patients. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Mean and percentage. RESULTS: Mean duration of the indwelling catheter was 109 days for Hickman catheter, 39 days for cavafix and 59 days for certofix. Difficulty in insertion and arrhythmias were common complications. There were no incidences of major life threatening complications. Catheter related infection was 30%. The commonest reason for catheter removal was treatment completion 72%. The next frequent cause was catheter infection 14% and patient death 6%. CONCLUSIONS: Even though central venous catheterization is associated with acceptable complications, they serve a useful aid in management of patients on chemotherapy.