Restoration of Patency in Failing Tunneled Hemodialysis Catheters: A Comparison of Catheter Exchange, Exchange and Balloon Disruption of the Fibrin Sheath, and Femoral Stripping

All three therapies were equivalent in terms of immediate technical success, complication rates, and durability of catheter function during later follow-up. Hence, when one technique is chosen over another, factors other than the period of secondary patency should be considered, such as cost and patient and physician preference.