Abstract
Deferoxamine is still today the only preventive and curative treatment of transfusional hemochromatosis. It must be perfused daily, intravenously or subcutaneously, during several hours emplantable infusion devices (Port-A-Cath) offer intravenous access, allowing to use higher doses, while avoiding local swelling due to subcutaneous injections. This device was inserted in 7 major thalassemic patients who presented with severe complications of iron overload, including 4 of them with signs of cardiac failure. Ferritinemias of all patients were lowered after intensifying iron chelation: cardiac function improved drastically in 2 patients. Devices were responsible for some complications: occlusion in one patient, local infections in two. This way of administration of desferal seems useful in patients with high ferritinemia and/or organic complications related to hemochromatosis.
| Translated title of the contribution | Intensifying iron chelating therapy with deferoxamine using implanted venous access catheters (Port-A-Cath) |
|---|---|
| Original language | French |
| Pages (from-to) | 159-163 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Archives Francaises de Pediatrie |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - Jan 1 1992 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Thalassemia
- blood transfusion
- child
- deferoxamine
- heart failure congestive
- hemosiderosis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health