A STUDY OF SPECIALIZED TROCAR OF REMOVING CUFFED CATHETER AMONG PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM HEMODIALYSIS

Background: Permanent cuffed catheter (permcath) is a method used to access the veins in hemodialysis. In those patients with catheter exit indication, a small incision is made on the skin after feeling the cuff under the skin and catheter is removed after disconnecting its tissue-cuff connection. In this study, the whole connection between catheter cuff and tissue is disconnected using a new tool named trocar; then the catheter is removed. Materials and Method: This is a clinical trial conducted on 104 patients candidate for catheter removal in two groups. The bleeding level, the operation length, the damages requiring intervention following catheter removal and the number of stitches made were all recorded. The patients’ outcome regarding bleeding and surgical site infection was traced for 14 days following the operation, and the probable complications such as edema, fever, ecchymosis, etc. were recorded. Results: No significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding background diseases (P = 0.3). No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of the frequency of infection (P = 0.49), catheter damage (P = 0.614), hematoma (P = 0.5), and tissue damages (P = 0.32). The length of the operation (P = 0.0001), level of bleeding (P = 0.0001) and the number of stitches made (P = 0.0001) were significantly less than what was observed in the intervention group. Conclusion: Using catheter would result in shorter catheter removal time, less bleeding level, fewer stitches, and less scar following the removal.