Vascular access devices used during harvest of peripheral blood stem cells: high complication rate in patients with a long-term dialysis central venous catheter

PBSC harvesting requires good quality venous access. The efficacy and compl ication rate of the venous access devices used during stem cell harvest in 101 consecutive patients were examined. Four different categories of venous access were used: (1) long-term dialysis central venous catheter (dCVC), ( 2) short-term dCVC, (3) peripheral venous cannulae (PVC), and (4) PVC and c onventional central venous catheter, The number of harvest occasions per pa tient or harvest days per occasion were similar between the various categor ies of access, Complications during harvest occurred in 13 out of 48 (27%) occasions using a long-term dCVC compared to six out of 97 (6%) in the othe r three categories pealed together (P < 0.01), Forty-two of the 101 patient s received a long-term dCVC to facilitate the harvest, The long-term dCVC w as planned to stay in place and also be used as a conventional i.v. line du ring the following high-dose treatment. Twenty-one (50%) of the longterm dC VCs were removed due to complication. Thirteen (31%) of the long-term dCVCs were usable throughout the entire treatment period. In conclusion, we reco mmend that PBSC harvesting is performed through peripheral venous catheters when practically possible, otherwise via short-term dCVC.