Detachment of chemotherapy catheters: a rare complication?

Abstract

Use of totally implantable catheters for chemotherapy treatment is a necessity, but one which brings with it risks of multiple complications, some inherent to insertion of the device and others related to the catheter itself. We describe three cases in which the catheter became disconnected from its reservoir. In the first case, the catheter became completely detached from its reservoir and in the second and third cases the catheter itself underwent fragmentation. In all three cases it was necessary to withdraw the endovascular catheter. This event is described as rare, but it tends to be present in the majority of reviews and it is associated with the risk of serious complications, even though it is often asymptomatic. It is advisable to follow-up patients who have these catheters implanted in order to detect these complications early and to enable understanding of the factors that cause these situations to occur.

Keywords:
central venous catheters; equipment failure; vascular access devices