Premium
Comparison of radiologically inserted arm ports versus surgically placed chest ports for chemotherapy
Author(s) -
WEICKHARDT Andrew,
JOSEPH Timothy,
SHEA Susan,
ARHANGHELSCHI Dan,
LOWE Andrew,
HAMILTON Kate,
CHONG Geoff
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
asia‐pacific journal of clinical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1743-7563
pISSN - 1743-7555
DOI - 10.1111/j.1743-7563.2009.01231.x
Subject(s) - medicine , port (circuit theory) , chemotherapy , surgery , complication , clinical endpoint , venous access , retrospective cohort study , randomized controlled trial , catheter , electrical engineering , engineering
Aim: Central venous access ports (CVAP) are often required to deliver chemotherapy to cancer patients. Arm‐sited CVAP are an alternative to traditional chest‐sited CVAP, but their durability and complication rates have not been thoroughly compared. Methods: A retrospective analysis at a single institution was conducted of all patients who had a chest port inserted for chemotherapy over a 30‐month period and compared to patients who had an arm port inserted over a subsequent 30‐month period. The minimum follow‐up period in patients who did not die from cancer was 6 months. The primary endpoint was successful use of the port, defined as a patient completing chemotherapy without a complication prompting removal of the port. Results: The success rate was not significantly different between arm port (92 patients) or chest port (49 patients) groups (88 vs 92%). There were no significant differences between infective or thrombotic complications in the two groups. Conclusion: Arm CVAP were found to be equivalent in durability and complications compared to chest CVAP for chemotherapy administration at a regional oncology unit.