Background: Haemodialysis is a critical modality of renal replacement therapy, but temporary non-tunnelled femoral catheters remain widely used in urgent or resource-limited settings despite their association with complications such as deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Evidence from South Asia on the burden and predictors of catheter-related thrombosis is limited, restricting development of preventive guidelines. Objective: To determine the frequency of femoral catheter-related DVT and identify associated risk factors among patients undergoing haemodialysis. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Nephrology, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, from March to June 2025. A total of 173 patients aged 20–60 years undergoing dialysis via femoral double-lumen catheters for more than 24 hours were consecutively recruited. Duplex ultrasonography confirmed DVT diagnosis. Demographic, clinical, and procedural variables were recorded and analysed using chi-square/Fisher’s exact tests and binary logistic regression. Results: Thrombosis was confirmed in 13 patients (7.5%), with left femoral involvement in 61.5%, right sided in 30.8%, and bilateral in 7.7%. No significant associations were observed with age (p=0.72), gender (p=0.38), BMI (p=0.81), or dialysis indication (p=0.64). Catheter dwell time ≥6 days was strongly associated with DVT (24.3% vs 2.9%; adjusted OR 9.8, 95% CI 2.5–37.6, p=0.001). Conclusion: Femoral catheter-related DVT occurred in 7.5% of patients, with catheter dwell time beyond six days as the only independent predictor. Early transition to permanent vascular access is essential to reduce thrombotic complications.
Khan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.