[Central venous catheters: a temporary access, sometimes temporarily prolonged or even permanent].

Out of the 427 patients regularly attended to at the Centre d'Hémodialyse du Languedoc Méditerranéen, 144 have required at one stage the use of internal jugular vein for hemodialysis. Subclavian or femoral cathethers have been resorted to temporarily pending the re-establishment of a pre-existing vascular access. Jugular catheters have been reserved for lasting utilizations thanks to Carnaud's technique using two catheters. Gradually the use of such catheters has become imperative to offer vascular access for the treatment of hemodialysis or to create truly "permanent" accesses. This second solution only concerns a limited number of patients either for their private convenience, or when the establishment of an internal access would require a heavy and uncertain operation.