Short- and Long-Term Hemodialysis Catheters /

Catheters placed within the central venous system provide both short-and long-term access solutions for patients who require hemodialysis. The central venous approach for dialysis access has been available since the original description of femoral cannulation was provided by Shaldon et al. (1) in 1961. Their technique required placement of both arterial and venous cannulae to accomplish effective dialysis. It was not until Uldall (2) introduced a dual-lumen catheter for subclavian vein cannulation in 1980 that the modern era of percutaneous venous access for dialysis began. Further evolution in both catheter design and placement techniques has resulted in the more frequent and broader application of central venous catheters to maintain patients on hemodialysis.