Maurizio Gallieni, Valentina Martina, Maria Antonietta Rizzo, Luciana Gravellone, Francesca Mobilia, Antonino Giordano, Daniele Cusi, Umberto Genovese
In dialysis patients, both central venous catheter (CVC) insertion and CVC use during the dialysis procedure pose important legal issues, because of potentially severe, even fatal, complications. The first issue is the decision of the kind of vascular access that should be proposed to patients: an arteriovenous (AV) fistula, a graft, or a CVC. The second issue, when choosing the CVC option, is the choice of CVC: nontunneled versus tunneled. Leaving a temporary nontunneled CVC for a prolonged time increases the risk of complications and could raise a liability issue...
October 2011: Journal of Vascular Access