Risk of venous access device wound complications in patients undergoing paclitaxel chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies.

Objective: To determine if wound complications after placement of a central venous catheter access device are related to the type of postsurgical cytotoxic chemotherapy administered.

Methods: All patients in a 10-year period undergoing placement of central venous access device followed by postsurgical chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies were included in this retrospective case-control study.

Results: Sixty-eight patients underwent 78 placement procedures followed by chemotherapy. Six catheters (7.7%) in five patients developed wound complications. Variables evaluated included the type of gynecologic malignancy, previous use of chemotherapy, patient age and weight, preoperative white blood cell count, type of access device and insertion site, use of prophylactic antibiotics, type of chemotherapy and interval to administration, development of wound complication, and catheter removal. Univariate analysis shows an association between subsequent catheter site wound complication and paclitaxel use (P = 0.02) as well as wound complication and combined paclitaxel and cisplatin use (P = 0.005). Multivariate analysis with stepwise linear regression confirms that a paclitaxel containing regimen is associated with an increase in wound breakdown (P = 0.04).

Conclusion: The use of a paclitaxel containing chemotherapeutic regimen administered after placement of an indwelling central venous access device in gynecologic oncology patients is associated with wound complications of the catheter site.