Alteration of the inner surface of venous catheters by antineoplastic drugs.

Abstract Septic complications and thrombosis are frequent causes of long-term venous catheter implantation failure and tend to occur more frequently in oncology than in patients using catheters for hyperalimentation only. The purpose of this in vitro study was to study extensively the inner surface behaviour and the possible changes in their mechanical properties of various silicone and polyurethane catheters after exposure to a flow of the most common antineoplastic drugs. Silicone catheters appeared to be the best choice for cytostatic drug infusions because of their chemical stability, but the addition of an opacifier imposes a protective inner and outer layer to improve their surface properties for biocompatibility.