Central Venous Access

Long-term central venous access is an essential technique in surgical oncology, required either for hyperalimentation of a malnourished patient before or after an oncologic procedure, or for periodic access to a central vein—usually the superior vena cava (SVC)—in order to infuse various chemotherapeutic agents. The latter indication is the more common one, as peripheral veins are often small and difficult to cannulate, or they become thrombosed and sclerotic after a few infusions of chemotherapeutic agents, presenting a risk of extravasation of these drugs, some of which are highly toxic to the infused tissues, with resultant necrosis and slough.