Safety of percutaneous tunneled hemodialysis catheter procedures in patients receiving concurrent clopidogrel therapy.

Purpose: Patients on clopidogrel are at increased risk of bleeding. This study was commenced to assess the incidence of bleeding in dialysis patients who underwent tunneled hemodialysis catheter procedures while on clopidogrel therapy.

Methods: This is a single center retrospective study of 25 (10 men, 15 women; median age 70) dialysis patients in whom clopidogrel could not be discontinued and underwent tunneled hemodialysis catheter insertion, removal or exchange between the period March 2010 to November 2011.