Background: To date, no study has investigated the use of vitamin K antagonists (VKA) in children undergoing chronic haemodialysis (HD) with a central venous catheter (CVC).
Methods: Consecutive patients aged <18 years with a newly placed tunnelled CVC for chronic HD were enrolled over a 3-year period. Children with active nephrotic syndrome or a history of venous thrombosis received warfarin (VKA group) with therapeutic target international normalised ratios of between 2.0 and 3.0. Patients at standard risk of CVC malfunction were not treated with VKA (standard group). The primary end-point was overall CVC survival.
Results: The VKA group consisted of nine patients (median age 10.6 years; range 1.2-15.3 years) with 11 CVC, and the standard group comprised eight patients (11.8 years; 6.1-17.3 years) with ten CVC. The 6- and 12-month CVC survival was significantly longer in the VKA group than in the standard group (100 vs. 60 % and 83.3 vs. 16.7 %, respectively; p < 0.05), with a median survival of 369 and 195 days, respectively (p < 0.05). None of the CVC in the VKA group required removal due to malfunction, as compared to four in the standard group. No major bleeding episodes occurred in either group.
Conclusions: Therapy with VKA would appear to be safe in children on chronic HD and may improve CVC survival in patients at increased risk of CVC thrombosis.
Keywords: Oral anticoagulants; Paediatric haemodialysis; Tunnelled central venous catheter; Vitamin K antagonists; Warfarin.