title: Use of the Hickman catheter as permanent vascular access for hemodialysis.
abstract: Nineteen patients in whom it was impossible to create an arteriovenous (AV) fistula were hemodialyzed with adult Hickman catheters as the sole vascular access. Catheter survival was 45% at 1 year, with eight patients requiring two or three catheters for the continuation of their treatment. The probability of a patient still being dialyzed with a Hickman catheter at 1 year was 69%. The calculated risk of developing the most frequent complications was 0.07/100 catheter days for sepsis, 0.4/100 catheter days for thrombosis, and 0.06/100 catheter days for outflow obstruction. These figures seem quite acceptable, and the use of Hickman catheters as permanent vascular access is warranted in this category of difficult patient.
authors.affiliation: Département médico-chirurgical de Néphrologie, Dialyse et Transplantation--Cliniques Universitaires de Bruxelles Hôpital Erasme, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kinnaert
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hooghe
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Pauw
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dhaene
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dratwa
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vanherweghem
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000209:etiology; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology