[Intensifying iron chelating therapy with desferrioxamine using implantable venous access catheters (Port-A-Cath)].
Deferoxamine is still today the only preventive and curative treatment of transfusional hemochromatosis. It must be perfused daily, intravenously or subcutaneously, during several hours. Implantable infusion devices (Port-A-Cath) offer intravenous access, allowing to use higher doses, while avoiding local swelling due to subcutaneous injections. This device was inserted in 7 major thalassemic patients who presented with severe complications of iron overload, including 4 of them with signs of cardiac failure. Ferritinemias of all patients were lowered after intensifying iron chelation: cardiac function improved drastically in 2 patients. Devices were responsible for some complications: occlusion in one patient, local infections in two. This way of administration of desferal seems useful in patients with high ferritinemia and/or organic complications related to hemochromatosis.
de Montalembert
M
M
Centre de la Drépanocytose et de la Thalassémie, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris.
Jan
D
D
Clairicia
M
M
Hannedouche
T
T
Sidi
D
D
Girot
R
R
D000210:Acute-Phase Reaction; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D003676:Deferoxamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D012874:Skin Diseases, Infectious / Q000209:etiology; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000628:therapy; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D003676:Deferoxamine
Intensification du traitement chélateur du fer par la desferrioxamine à l'aide d'une chambre implantable d'accès veineux (Port-A-Cath).