Percutaneous placement of a central venous access device via an intercostal vein

Placement of long-term hemodialysis catheter (permcath) in patients with end-stage renal disease through external jugular vein

Background:

The number of patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) has progressively increased in the population. Kidney transplantation is the specific treatment for such patients; however a majority of patients will require hemodialysis before kidney transplantation. The present study aims to investigate using the external jugular vein (EJV) for Permcath placement in these patients.

Materials and Methods:

This descriptive and analytical study was conducted in Alzahra Medical Center, Isfahan, in 2012. Catheters were inserted by cutting down the right EJV. The patency rate and potential complications were studied. The obtained data was analyzed using SPSS 21.0.

Results:

Out of 45 live patients, within three months of surgery, 40 patients (81.6%) had no complications and dialysis continued through Permcath. Permcath Thrombosis occurred in two patients (4.4%). Catheter infection led to the removal of it in one patient (2.2%) 1.5 months after surgery. And accidental catheter removal occurred in one patient.

Conclusion:

Placement of the permcath in the external jugular vein can be a safe, uncomplicated, and reliable method for patients requiring hemodialysis, and can be a life-saving alternative in patients without accessible internal jugular vein.

Venous access salvage techniques

For patients who need long-term central venous access but who have developed obstruction of the usual central veins, "salvage" access techniques offer successful alternatives. These techniques include translumbar inferior vena cava access, transhepatic inferior vena cava access, catheterization of small venous collaterals, and recanalization of occluded veins. Inferior vena cava access techniques allow a range of devices to be placed, including ports, infusion catheters, and hemodialysis catheters. Collateral vessels may be too small to allow for large-caliber devices, such as hemodialysis catheters. Success rates for these access techniques are high and complications are infrequent. These access routes are in general quite durable. Adults and children can be treated. Once placed, devices are managed and used as they would be for any routinely placed venous access device.

Exchanging dual-lumen central venous catheters: how I do it

The management of a blocked long-term central venous catheter has traditionally been removal and re-siting, even when device failure is not associated with venous thrombosis or sepsis. It is not possible to 'railroad' a split dual-lumen central venous catheter down a long tortuous s.c. tunnel. Our exchange technique was designed to salvage the tunnel and venous access site in a long-term catheter that has had uncomplicated primary device failure. In this technique we divide the dual-lumen catheter and secure the venous access site and the s.c. tunnel with separate peel-away sheaths. The new catheter is then introduced in the conventional manner through the two peel-away sheaths, which are then removed. The key advantage of the technique is that it preserves one of the few central venous access sites available. This article describes exchange of an internal jugular catheter, but the same technique is applicable to subclavian catheters.

Translumbar High Inferior Vena Cava Access Placement in Patients with Thrombosed Inferior Vena Cava Filters

Venous access is a dire necessity in some patients such as those with end-stage renal disease or short gut syndrome. The right internal jugular vein is the preferred entry site for tunneled central venous catheters. Alternatively, the left internal jugular is considered next, with the external jugular and subclavian veins being considered later. Catheter-related venous stenosis approaches 40% in certain sites, resulting in loss of access sites. As sites are lost, insertion of functional long-term central venous catheters becomes challenging. Translumbar inferior vena cava (IVC) access created in two patients with limited venous access sites who had thrombosed IVCs containing IVC filters is described. Because of the higher IVC punctures in these cases, procedural planning with cross-sectional imaging is crucial to avoid puncturing the right renal artery as it passes posterior to the IVC.

Reoperative venous access

The maintenance of long-term venous access is critical to the livelihood of children in a variety of clinical situations, especially those who are dependent on parenteral nutrition. Whereas the traditional routes of either peripheral or central venous access are initially adequate, most of these sites eventually succumb to the pitfalls associated with long-term venous access. This review provides a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to the management of reoperative venous access with regard to preoperative planning and imaging and specific techniques in interventional radiology and surgery.

Unconventional venous access

Venous access is commonly thought of as the bread and butter of interventional radiologic procedures. However, in those patients who have undergone multiple previous central venous catheter placements, venous access can be a technical challenge for even the most seasoned interventional radiologist. Conventional access sites include the internal jugular veins (IJV) and subclavian veins (SCV). The former should be considered as the primary access site for all patients who will be catheter dependent for whatever reason. Before utilization of the SCV, the external jugular veins (EJV) should be used, especially in the dialysis population. Only after surgical hemodialysis access is no longer an option in the upper extremity should cannulation of the SCV be entertained. Once these usual access sites are no longer available, it may necessary to use an unconventional access method, including catheterization of the common femoral vein, catheterization of enlarged collateral vessels, recanalization of occluded veins, translumbar inferior vena cava (IVC) catheter placement, and transhepatic catheter placement. This chapter serves as a review of these techniques.

Supraclavicular approach to the subclavian/innominate vein for large-bore central venous catheters

Infraclavicular and internal jugular catheterization are commonly used techniques for hemodialysis access, but may at times be impeded in patients whose anatomy makes cannulation difficult. In an effort to enlarge the spectrum of alternative access sites, we evaluated the supraclavicular approach for large-bore catheters. During an 18-month period we prospectively collected data on success rate and major and minor complications of the supraclavicular access for conventional dialysis catheters as well as Dacron-cuffed tunneled devices in 175 adult patients admitted for various extracorporeal therapies and bone marrow transplantation. Two hundred eight large-bore catheters (99 conventional dialysis catheters, 63 semirigid tunneled Dacron-cuffed catheters, and 46 Hickman catheters) were successfully placed in 164 patients (success rate, 93.8%), 58 (33.1%) of whom had been previously catheterized. Complications included pneumothorax (one patient), arterial puncture (seven patients), and puncture of the thoracic duct (two patients) without sequelae. Postinsertional chest radiographs demonstrated impressive coaxial lie of most catheters. Catheter malpositions occurred only sporadically (1%). Difficulty of introducing the catheter via a placed sheath was rarely observed. There was no clinically significant evidence of catheter-induced venous thrombosis or stenosis. We conclude that the supraclavicular route is an easy and safe first approach for large-bore catheters, as well as a useful alternative to traditional puncture sites for precatheterized and anatomically problematic patients.