Purpose: To assess the feasibility and safety of ultrasonographic (US) guidance in the placement of nontunneled central venous catheters (CVCs) in patients with cancer who had altered coagulation profiles.
Materials and methods: The study was approved by the institutional review board; informed consent was obtained. Medical charts of all patients with cancer who underwent nontunneled CVC placement at the European Institute of Oncology, Milan, from September 2001 to August 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were considered to have coagulation disorders or risk of bleeding when they had the following: prothrombin time more than 1.2 times normal or activated partial thromboplastin time more than 1.2 times normal and/or platelet count less than 150 x 10(9)/L. Patients with a prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time more than 2.2 times normal and/or a platelet count less than 50,000/mm(3) were considered to be at high risk for bleeding. Two hundred thirty-nine nontunneled CVCs were placed with US guidance in 157 patients.
Results: One hundred twenty-two (51%) of 239 nontunneled CVCs were inserted in patients with cancer who had hemostasic disorders. Forty-five (37%) of 122 nontunneled CVCs were implanted in patients considered to be at high risk for bleeding. All catheters were successfully placed at the first needle pass with no major complications such as bleeding or pneumothorax. Two hundred thirty-three (97%) nontunneled CVCs were placed in the subclavian vein, and six (3%) were placed in the internal jugular vein. No patient underwent any correction for an abnormal coagulation profile.
Conclusion: In patients with cancer who had coagulation disorders, nontunneled CVC placement with US guidance was feasible and safe and did not require correction of coagulation parameters.