The impact of taurolock versus heparin lock for the maintenance of central vein catheters patency in pediatric tertiary care hospitals

Background and Aim:Central vein access is a common procedure in infants and neonates. In this regard, cutdown is a common central venous access technique. However, it is associated with complications, including catheter occlusion, infection, and spontaneous withdrawal. Catheter occlusion is a common complication of the cutdown procedure and causes catheter dysfunction and subsequent catheter removal. In this study, we compared the effect of heparin lock with Taurolock on the maintenance of central vein catheter potency placed in the greater saphenous vein at the saphenofemoral junction and their subsequent complications. Materials and Methods:The children admitted to the pediatric hospital who required central vein access between December ۲۰۱۵ and July ۲۰۱۹ were recruited. There were two groups of patients. The first group received ۰.۵ mL Taurolock solution. The solution contains (cyclo)-taurolidine, heparin ۵۰۰ IU/mL, and citrate (۴%) before the catheter gets locked (Taurolock group). Another group received ۰.۵ mL heparin (contains ۵۰۰ IU/mL heparin) before the catheter lock (heparin lock group). After the treatment period, the average duration of catheter usage and heparin-induced bleeding complications were evaluated. Results: The average duration of catheter function was ۱۳.۴ days and ۹.۳ days in the Taurolock group, and the heparin lock group, respectively. The coagulation tests were performed on ۱۷۹ patients (۳۳.۹%) during hospitalization, no heparin-induced coagulopathies were reported. Conclusion: Using Taurolock after catheter use could significantly reduce catheter occlusion and increase the duration of catheter function. Taurolock reduces costs, prevents delays in treatment, and decreases pain sensation and discomfort in patients.

کلیدواژه ها:

Venous cutdown ، Catheters occlusion ، Heparin lock ، Vascular access devices ، Taurolock ، Veins ، Central venous catheters