Background: Fluorouracil infusion for 46±5h from the central venous(CV)port is required for mFOLFOX6, FOLFIRI, and FOLFOXIRI in patients with advanced colorectal cancer(CRC), followed by self-removal of the needle by patients. At our hospital, outpatients were instructed for self-removal of the needle, but the results were unsatisfactory. Therefore, instructions for self-removal of the needle from the CV port have been initiated at the patient ward since April 2019, making use of a hospital stay of 3 days.
Patients: We retrospectively enrolled patients with chemotherapy-introduced advanced CRC from the CV port who received instructions for self-removal of the needle in the outpatient department and ward between January 2018 and December 2021.
Results: Of all patients with advanced CRC, 21 received instructions at the outpatient department(OP)while 67 at patient ward(PW). Incidences of successful self-removal of the needle without the aid of others were similar: 47% in OP and 52% in PW(p=0.80). However, after several additional instructions involving their families, it was higher in PW than in OP(97.0 vs 76.1%, p=0.005). Incidences of successful self-removal of the needle without the aid of others in those aged≥75/<75, and≥65/<65 years were 0%/61.1%, and 35.4%/67.5%, respectively. OP was as a risk factor for failed self-removal of the needle in the logistic regression analysis(odds ratio: 11.19, 95%CI: 1.86- 67.30).
Conclusion: Repeated instructions involving patients' families during the hospital stay improved the incidence of successful self-removal of the needle. Involvement of patients' families from the beginning may effectively improve self- removal of the needle, particularly in the elderly patients with advanced CRC.