Ascites drainage at home

Ascites can lead to many symptoms, and often occurs in patients with an end-stage malignancy such as ovarian, pancreatic, colonic, or gastric cancer. Intermittent ascites drainage is applied in these patients as a palliative measure. As frequent drainage is necessary, a subcutaneously tunnelled permanent ascites catheter is a good alternative for intermittent drainage. The patient can open - and then re-close - the catheter when abdominal pressure increases. We inserted 35 subcutaneously permanent ascites catheters in the course of the past 3.5 years in the Leiden University Medical Centre. The success rate was 100% and the complication risk was 2.9%. A subcutaneously tunnelled ascites catheter is an effective and safe palliative treatment for patients with end-stage malignant disease and suffering from ascites.