Surgery Open Science – Volume 3, January 2021
The most comprehensive cohort study to be completed on the long-term complication profile associated with implanted port placement, “Outcomes following port-a-cath placement in the Medicare population” uncovered extraordinarily high complication rates within five years of implant, including a novel finding of a post op arrhythmia correlation:
Highlights:
• New arrhythmia development is not just an acute phase complication.•
• Arrhythmogenic events are common and can occur at rates of 32.66%.•
• Atrial fibrillation patients are 7.98 times more likely to develop any complication.
Patients with history of atrial fibrillation have increased odds of developing infectious, thrombovascular, mechanical, and arrhythmogenic complications with port-a-cath placement.
Surgery Open Science
Volume 3, January 2021
Abstract
Background
We aimed to evaluate the long-term complication profile associated with port-a-catheter placement.
Methods
Patients undergoing port-a-cath placement from 2007 to 2012 with 5-year follow up were identified. Descriptive statistics, χ2 tests, and multivariate regression models were analyzed.
Results
Any complication occurring within 5 years postoperatively was common (59.04%, n = 53,353). Arrhythmogenic (32.66%, n = 30,625) and thrombovascular (36.80%, n = 34,499) complications were more common than infection (17.86%, n = 16,745) and mechanical (10.31%, n = 9,670) complications. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that history of atrial fibrillation is a risk factor for developing any complication (odds ratio 7.99, 95% confidence interval 7.29–8.77).
Conclusion
Patients with history of atrial fibrillation have increased odds of developing infectious, thrombovascular, mechanical, and arrhythmogenic complications with port-a-cath placement. This study is the first to show that postprocedure arrhythmias occur at significant rates within the 5-year follow-up period. We caution that development of new arrhythmia should be monitored throughout a prolonged follow-up period. We hope our analysis encourages multidisciplinary coordination of patients with ports so that implants are promptly removed when they are no longer needed to avoid these complications.
Medical Research by
Syed I. Khalid MD ab, Samantha Maasarani MPH c, Rachyl M. Shanker BS c, Aaron Lee Wiegmann MD ab, Rita Wu BS c, Nicholas J. Skertich MD ab, Samantha L. Terranella MD ab, Laura DeCesare MD ab, Edie Y. Chan MD ab
aDepartment of Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
bRCOR (Rush Cook County Center for Outcomes Research), Chicago, IL
cChicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL
To See the Full Port A Cath Research Report
Visit ScienceDirect – Surgery Open Science, Volume 3, January 2021, Pages 39-43. Outcomes following port-a-catheter placement in the Medicare population.
