Examining the Frequency of Port Catheter Complications and the Duration of Its Performance Associated with the Length of the Catheter in Patients with Port Placement

Considering that the use of port catheters in long-term treatments and the quality of life (QoL) of patients with special conditions, including children, is particularly important, we decided to investigate the effect of the length of the port catheter on the duration of its performance in children.

All the files of patients referred to the Surgery Department of Hazrat Masoumeh (PBUH) hospital, who underwent catheterization, were examined by observing the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria included patients aged 14 years or younger with proven acute leukemia and the need for long-term intravenous access, survival of more than one week at the time of the patient’s entry into the study, and undergoing aggressive chemotherapy. The exclusion criteria included any contraindication to surgery or local anesthesia, sensitivity to lidocaine or anesthetics, evidence of any contraindication to using a subcutaneous catheter, clinical superior vena cava syndrome, and any mass or anatomical anomaly. A pediatric surgeon performed all ports. In the last stage, all the information related to the research was extracted from the existing files of these patients and analyzed with SPSS software, version 22.

In this study, the infection rate was 4(3.3%), bacteremia rate 5(4.2%), and thrombosis 13(10.8%). No statistically significant relationship was observed between the frequency of catheter port complications (infection, bacteremia, and thrombosis) with the gender of the patients or the catheter length. Furthermore, it was found that with the increase in the length of the catheter port, the time of complications also increased, and this increase was statistically significant.

Considering the complications of catheter port, the correct way to use and how to take care of the catheter during the treatment of patients should be optimally done.