LONG-TERM INFUSION IN CANCER-CHEMOTHERAPY WITH THE GROSHONG CATHETER VIA THE INFERIOR VENA-CAVA

Aims and background: Vascular access through a vein draining into the superior vena cava is commonly used for long-term infusion of drugs in r cancer chemotherapy; prolonged cannulation of the inferior vena cava is generally considered as having an excessively high complication ra te. Methods: Prolonged cisplatin infusion via the inferior vena cava b y means of a Groshong catheter was evaluated in 20 consecutive patient s with thoracic malignancies showing evidence of superior vena cava in filtration or obstruction, Results: We achieved 1,291 catheter days fo r our survey with a mean duration of vascular access of 64.5 days per patient and a mean duration of infusion time of 40 days. There were 2 complications, a catheter obstruction after a 7-day rest period and an ileo-femoral thrombosis 6 days after catheter placement, Conclusions: Our experience compared favourably with the results obtained by long- term central venous access via the supraumbilical route, and demonstra ted the reliability and safety of this approach in cases where the sup erior vena cava cannulation Is technically difficult or impossible.