Salvage of clotted jugular vein hemodialysis catheters.
Jugular venous catheters (JVC) provide rapid, vascular access for both emergency and maintenance hemodialysis in both acute and end-stage renal disease. Clotting and occlusion of JVC is a common problem necessitating alternate vascular access. Urokinase will declot 80-90% of central venous catheters; however, recurrence of catheter occlusion is frequent. We successfully employed a guide wire insertion technique to salvage occluded JVC after failed urokinase infusion. In 24 patients JVCs, inserted for either temporary or permanent vascular access, clotted within 6-55 days of initiating hemodialysis. Urokinase (5,000 IU) instilled into both arterial and venous limbs of the catheter had been unsuccessful in restoring patency. In these patients, we inserted a soft-tipped guide wire into both lumina. In 21 of 24 patients (87.5%), guide wire insertion opened the occluded JVC, permitting immediate initiation of hemodialysis. We conclude that for clotted JVC unresponsive to urokinase infusion, guide wire insertion can salvage most catheters thereby facilitating hemodialysis.
Shrivastava
D
D
Renal Division, Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Lundin
A P
AP
Dosunmu
B
B
Rao
T K
TK
Beyer
M M
MM
Friedman
E A
EA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007601:Jugular Veins; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D013924:Thrombophlebitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000627:therapeutic use
D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator