Long-term central venous catheters

Long-term venous access devices have revolutionized the medical care of chronically ill patients. Clinicians who treated such patients 30 or 40 years ago can particularly appreciate the impact of these devices. With the use of small peripheral venous catheters, the treatment of cancer patients was once complicated by extravasation of toxic agents and thrombosis of peripheral veins, which often limited intravenous chemotherapy. The introduction of long-term silicone venous devices allowed the safe administration of chemotherapy drugs, blood products, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), fluids, antibiotics, and other substances over an extended period of time. There is no doubt that such devices helped decrease morbidity and mortality and minimized human suffering.