Scheduled screening of patency of permanent central venous dialysis catheters

Background: The number of hemodialysis patients is being increased year by year throughout the world, due to the increase in the life expectancy of the population, as well as the increase in incidences of hypertension and diabetes among them, but also due to the fact that many of the patients with heart and renal failure are now being dialyzed. Hemodialysis requires vascular access. But diabetics, hypertensives, as well as the elderly patients, usually have no vessels (arteries and veins) capable enough to give a satisfactory blood flow via a fistula, so the catheter is the only choice. Objective-Design: A well-functioning catheter is a prerequisite for the quality of the clearance provided. In the present study, control of the catheter patency was performed in a monthly basis. If the blood supply remained high (at least >300 ml/min) the catheter was considered to function satisfactorily. Participants-Results: The study examined the patency of permanent dialysis catheters in 34 patients (19F, 15M). The catheter survival was found to be good in all cases (100%) with a blood supply of at least >300 ml/min for 17 months. Furthermore, 75% of the catheters had a good blood supply for 20 months, while 6 catheters survived with good function for 25 months and continue to operate satisfactorily even now. Conclusion: The study found out that the method of controlling the patency of permanent dialysis catheters was easy and efficient for the timely detection of those that were malfunctioning and that the results from their use were satisfactory, compared to those of other researchers in the literature.