Interventional radiologists continue to provide an expanding range of central venous access services. Central venous access procedures now constitute nearly 50% of the daily workload in many interventional radiology practices. This article will briefly review the percutaneous, image-guided techniques that interventional radiologists commonly use to evaluate and treat catheter-related problems and complications.
The insertion of central venous access devices for patients requiring all forms of central venous therapy is expensive and time consuming, particularly if general anesthetic and operating facilities are used by medical personnel, By expanding the role of a nurse who specialized in parenteral nutrition and who had previous experience in critical care, this procedure was able to be Performed Percutaneously at the bedside, cutting costs, freeing medical staff time, and improving patient care.
Various vascular access devices are available and widely used in the hospital and home setting for the treatment of patients with acute and chronic illnesses. Many cancer patients, in particular, require Short- or long-term central venous access for the intravenous administration of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, blood products, antibiotics, total parental nutrition, and other medications. This author, a breast cancer survivor and a nurse, examines the benefits and drawbacks of venous access devices, the satisfaction and dissatisfaction with their use, and the effects these devices have on treatment and quality of life from a patient's perspective.
The author discusses her personal experiences, which have spanned 22 years, living with catheter lines and educating other practitioners on the patient/nurse interaction. This article details the experience from both a patient's and a nurse's perspective and provides advice for other medical staff who place central line catheters.