OCCLUSION OF THE VENA-CAVA IN INFANTS RECEIVING CENTRAL VENOUS HYPERALIMENTATION

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 154  (2) , 189-192
Abstract
During a 5 yr period, 118 Silastic, Broviac, central venous hyperalimentation catheters were inserted into 94 imfants who were < 1 yr of age. The indications for total parenteral nutrition were malabsorption syndrome in 26, short bowel syndrome in 24, diarrhea in 15, nutritional support following operation in 11 and miscellaneous in 18. Catheters (102) were placed into the vena cava by way of the saphenous vein at the groin, and 16 were inserted through the external or internal jugular veins. The duration of catheter use varied from 6-925 days, a mean of 104 days. In 6 infants, obstruction of the vena cava developed, 5 in the inferior vena cava and 1 in the superior vena cava. Swelling of the extremity was minimal and the thrombosis was insidious in each patient. None of the patients had pulmonary emboli. Although 2 of the 6 patients eventually died, in neither was thrombosis of the cava believed to be related. Thrombosis of the vena cava is a frequent sequela of long-term central venous hyperalimentation in infants, but it is rarely fatal and produces remarkably few serious complications.

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