BACKGROUND: To evaluate tunnel dialysis catheter (TDC) patency and its outcome among patients receiving TDC in a tertiary care hospital.METHODS: Retrospectively patients' records were reviewed who underwent TDC placement during February 2016 to November 2020 at Department of Interventional Radiology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Patients' age, gender, residence, comorbidity, catheter placement site, use of antibiotics before catheter insertion, reasons for catheter removal and

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... otal catheter days were retrieved from patients' medical record file.RESULTS: 130 patients received TDC with a median follow-up of 148 (inter-quartile range: 60.8 – 274.3) days. 94(72.3%) catheters were electively removed whereas 18(13.8%), 16(12.3%) and 2(1.5%) catheters were removed due to infections, blockage and physical damage respectively. None of the mortality was observed due to catheter related complication. The incidence of overall infection, bacteremia and other infections during one year was 7.3, 5.01 and 3.19 per 10,000 patient-days respectively. Infection free survival rate was 68% with mean time to infection was 676.63 (95% CI: 593.87 – 759.39) days. During the study, total catheter patency was 53.2%. None of the patients' characteristics was associated with catheter related infections and catheter patency.CONCLUSION: TDCs are the best available alternative for short to intermediate term use for hemodialysis when all preventive measures are taken to avoid catheter related complications either infectious or non-infectious until permanent dialysis access is achieved or renal transplant is done. It may also serve as long term hemodialysis mode in patients in whom permanent access or transplant is not preferred.