Management of complications associated with totally implantable ports in patients with AIDS

Abstract

Morbidity associated with totally implantable ports is common in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). More than half of the implanted devices will have at least one complication before its removal or the patient's death. Infectious complications are the most frequent. Two patients are reported here in whom staphylococcal infection of the totally implantable port occurred; one of the devices could be saved through the antibiotic lock technique. Infectious complications of totally implantable ports occur more commonly in patients who are neutropenic or who have low CD4 cell counts (<25 cells per microliter). When patients have chamber infection (the most frequent infectious complication) with or without secondary bacteremia, the antibiotic lock technique has proven useful for device sterilization.