Abstract
The necessity for totally implantable central venous access devices is increasing in association with the aging population and the progress of chemotherapy. Percutaneous subclavian vein puncture is a common method for implantation, but it is associated with complications such as pneumothorax and pinch-off syndrome.
We analyzed the differences in operation times, complications, and success rates between the cephalic vein cutdown method and the percutaneous subclavian vein puncture method.
Between April 2013 and August 2015, 224 patients underwent one of the procedures, with 190 patients receiving the cephalic vein cutdown method and 34 receiving the percutaneous subclavian vein puncture method. With the percutaneous subclavian vein puncture method, we found a mean operation time of 25.0 min and a total complication rate of 9.8%, with pneumothorax occurring in 3 patients. Although the success rate of the cephalic vein cutdown method was 72.1%, we conclude that it is a safe method.
