A NEW PORT CATHETER SYSTEM MADE OF ALUMIN A CERAMIC

Implantable port catheter systems are becoming increasingly important, as they often permit outpatient treatment for many indications that w ould otherwise require hospitalization. Moreover, they also increase t he safety/reliability of infusion therapy in critical inpatients. For a variety of reasons, the materials used so far, i.e. steel, titanium and various plastics have not been completely satisfactory. The main d isadvantage of metallic systems is the formation of artefacts in tomog raphic images, while the shortcomings of plastics are mechanical, e.g. chip formation and early membrane failure. Against this background, a port catheter system made of alumina ceramic, which is largely free o f the disadvantages of the other materials, was developed. The expecte d advantages in terms of complication rate and radiological artefacts, were fully confirmed by the evaluation of 160 monitored patients.