Table 2.
Reasons for removal of port-a-cath in patients with solid tumours at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman from January 2007 to April 2019 (N = 516)
| Reason for removal* | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Complication† | 72 (14.0) |
| Infection | 59 (11.4) |
| Infection + blocked | 4 (0.8) |
| Blocked | 9 (1.7) |
| Skin rupture | 9 (1.7) |
| Vessel thrombosis | 3 (0.6) |
| Catheter migration | 1 (0.2) |
| Haematoma | 1 (0.2) |
| Catheter leak | 1 (0.2) |
| Completed chemotherapy | 119 (22.3) |
| Organism isolated | |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 14 (2.7) |
| Staphylococcus hemolyticus | 6 (1.2) |
| Klebsiella pneumonie | 6 (1.2) |
| Multi-resistant Pseudomonas aureguinosa | 4 (0.8) |
| Pseudomonas aureguinosa | 4 (0.8) |
| Multi-resistant Klebsiella | 3 (0.6) |
| Acinetobacter | 2 (0.4) |
| Candida | 2 (0.4) |
| Escherichia coli | 2 (0.4) |
| Escherichia faecalis | 1 (0.2) |
| Proteus vulgaris | 1 (0.2) |
| Streptococcus mitis | 1 (0.2) |
| Bacillus cereus | 1 (0.2) |
| Ochrobacum anthropi | 1 (0.2) |
| No organism isolated | 16 (3.1) |
| Chemotherapy regimen | |
| AC → D±T | 107 (20.7) |
| Multiple lines (no bevacizumab) | 165 (32.0) |
| Multiple lines with bevacizumab | 64 (12.4) |
| FOLFOX4 ± bevacizumab | 82 (15.9) |
| Other Regimens | 98 (20.0) |
AC = Adriamycin and Cyclophosphamide; D±T = Docetaxel ± Trastuzumab; FOLFOX4 = Folinic Acid, 5-Fluoruracil and Oxaliplatin.
*
The remaining port-a-caths were not removed.
†
Patients could have more than one complication.