Thrombus on Indwelling Central Venous Catheters: The Histopathology of 'Fibrin Sheaths'

Journal Article · Wed Mar 15 00:00:00 EST 2000 · Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/S002700010042· OSTI ID:21083655

Suojanen, James Norman; Brophy, David Paul; Nasser, Imad ^[1]

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1. Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1 Deaconess Road, Boston, MA 02215 (United States)

Purpose: Central venous catheters (CVC) may fail for many reasons, though 'fibrin sheaths' blocking catheter ports are usually implicated. We examined the sheaths removed from dialysis catheters to determine their histopathology.Methods: Ten catheter strippings were performed and the removed material was studied grossly and microscopically.Results: The histologic specimens showed thrombus both with and without a proteinaceous sheath.Conclusion: Dialysis catheters fail because of thrombus formation. This can occur in either the absence or presence of a protein coating on the catheter, the so-called 'fibrin sheath.'.

• OSTI ID: 21083655
• Journal Information: Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology, Vol. 23, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1007/s002700010042; Copyright (c) 2000 Springer-Verlag New York Inc; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0174-1551
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
BLOOD FLOW
BLOOD VESSELS
DIALYSIS
FIBRIN
VASCULAR DISEASES