Thrombosis associated to central catheter: a general view

The use of central venous catheter is very frequent in hospitalized and ambulatory patients for infusion of fluids, blood products, antibiotics and chemotherapy agents; however, thrombosis is a frequent complication related to the use of central venous catheter, its incidence varies significantly in the medical literature according to the type and location, duration, type of patients and diagnostic modality. There are risk factors that increase the probability of presenting thrombosis associated with the catheter. Some may be due to the intrinsic characteristics of the patient, linked to genetic or molecular alterations and others due to extrinsic factors, such as the location and type of catheter. The clinical presentation of thrombosis depends on the location and size of the thrombus, many of these cases are asymptomatic and detected incidentally. Catheter-associated thrombosis can lead to fatal complications such as pulmonary embolism, so the use of anticoagulant prophylaxis remains a transcendental decision in these patients after evaluating the risks of thrombosis and bleeding.