Effect of L-carnitine administration on erythrocyte survival in haemodialysis patients.

right atrium is a common practice in paediatric cardiac surgery [3]. The procedure is technically simple, easily performed by any cardiac surgeon with no additional risks beyond those inherent to the thoracic procedure; the complications are mainly related to the general condition of the patient. In paediatric patients, the transthoracic catheter is always used on a temporary basis and removed by simple traction, without significant complications. The use of transthoracic intracardiac catheters for haemodialysis access has been reported only once before; in that report however, the catheter was frequently replaced due to recurrent infection episodes and was used for only a few months [4]. In the present case, the catheter has been functioning uninterruptedly for more than 36 months without any serious associated complications. A repeated sternotomy would be necessary for intracardiac catheter replacement or removal, should it become infected. This is, as far as we are aware, the first report of an intracardiac catheter used as a permanent vascular access for dialysis, for more than 2 years [5,6]. We suggest that the intracardiac placement of a central venous catheter may be a safe and long-lasting option in cases of total vascular access exhaustion, allowing the maintenance of the patient on regular haemodialysis therapy.