CENTRAL VENOUS BRACHIAL CATHETER (PAS PORT TM) AND CATHETER SCANNING SYSTEM (CATH-FINDER TM)

To assess the effectiveness and safety of an implanted portal with a c entral venous brachial implanted catheter, P.A.S. Port TM(P-P), and th e accuracy of its Cath Finder TM tracking system (C-F), (Pharmacia Del tec) vs. radiology, a phase 11 multicentric study was designed. The ca theter was implanted in 53 oncologic patients treated with chemotherap y and the performance of the catheter was evaluated for 3 months. No p roblems arose during the implantation in 77% of the cases and in all c ases radiologic location of the catheter tip coincided with the C-F. W e can conclude that P-P is easy to implant and to maintain in the arm and that it is well tolerated by the patients. C-F is an accurate and reliable system for locating the catheter tip. The use of both systems is an attractive alternative to the standard ones. (C) 1994 Wiley-Lis s, Inc.