Summary:Central venous catheters are frequently used in leukapheresis to provide high flow rates. The most common locations are the subclavian or jugular vein, but insertion-related complications and inadequate flow are frequent problems. Experience using femoral venous access is limited, because this has been discouraged due to the high incidence of infectious or thromboembolic complications. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of 108 short-term femoral venous dialysis catheters used for the collection of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs). All catheters were placed by a member of the dialysis unit, and they remained in situ for the days needed to reach the target number of CD34 þ cells. No prophylactic antibiotic or antithrombotic therapy was used. A total of 232 apheresis sessions was performed. The longest duration a catheter remained in situ was 5 days. Most of the patients finished the collection in one or two apheresis sessions. There were no thrombotic or infectious complications, and insertion-related complications or mechanical problems were minimal. Apheresis results were similar to those reported using subclavian or jugular venous access. The short-term use of femoral venous dialysis catheters appears safe and effective for PBSC collection, simplifying the procedure, improving patient comfort, and reducing cost.

The studies of quality of life (QoL) are becoming increasingly interesting in clinical setting because their findings have implications for making decisions on resource allocation and health policies. The assessment of health-related QoL is especially directed to patients with chronic illnesses that cause progressive deterioration and limitations, and consume the bulk of financial resources for health. Among these chronic kidney disease and, more specifically the renal replacement therapy, is an important condition. Due to the diagnostic and therapeutic advances, we see a gradual increase both in the number of the dialysis population and its age, which leads to a growing interest in the study of these patients' QoL, as evidenced by more than one thousand articles published on this subject.

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