Abstract
Tunneling of the cuffed catheter for hemodialysis is an important part of insertion procedure with faulty techniques being the cause of catheter dysfunctions. We retrospectively analyzed 737 double-lumen cuffed catheter procedures between 2008 and 2015 in patients aged 60 ± 15years, requiring renal replacement therapy. Complications of tunneling included kinking, bleeding and other problems. In 20 of 737 (2.7%) procedures, the catheter kinked, which was observed in 7.7% of silicone and 0.6% of polyurethane catheters. Repositioning was attempted in 4, but was successful in only 2 cases. Catheter exchange was necessary in 16 cases, but the function was adequate in 2 cases, despite radiological signs of kinking. In 6 cases (1 patient with diabetes, 2 with chest anatomy changes and medical devices, 2 with systemic sclerosis and 1 with greatly enlarged superficial jugular veins) we faced particular difficulties requiring an individual solution by tunneling; these are described in detail. The cumulative catheter patency rate were 69%, 52% and 37% at 3, 6 and 12 months, respectively. In conclusion, the most frequent complication of tunneling was kinking, usually necessitating catheter exchange. The silicon catheter kinked more often than the polyurethane one. An individual approach is sometimes needed by patients with diabetes and anatomical changes of the chest.
Highlights
Cuffed hemodialysis catheters are used as vascular access in one third of the chronic dialysis population[1,2] usually to bridge the vascular access until autogenous or non-autogenous access can be established
737 procedures of cuffed catheter insertion were performed in 655 patients, 262 (40%) male and 393 (60%) female, requiring renal replacement therapy between 2008 and 2015
Tunneling was associated with the following complications: catheter kinking in 20 (2.7%) procedures, hemorrhage and hematoma along catheter trajectory in 5 cases (0.6%)
Summary
Cuffed hemodialysis catheters are used as vascular access in one third of the chronic dialysis population[1,2] usually to bridge the vascular access until autogenous or non-autogenous access can be established. We analyze the complications of tunneling and describe six different clinical cases in which we faced difficulties in tunneling and our practical approach. To our knowledge it is the first analysis of tunneling problems resulting from inserting a cuffed catheter
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