Background: Long-term venous access is essential when treating malignant diseases. As an alternative to conventional central venous catheters, peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) are now widely used. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and reliability of PICCs in comparison with previous reports, and to describe significant complications associated with their use.
Patients and methods: From June 2009 to November 2017, PICCs were inserted 258 times in a total of 160 pediatric and young adult patients at our institution. We retrospectively evaluated our data regarding catheter life, a note of caution during insertion, reasons for removal, infection, and other notable complications.
Results: The 258 PICCs were placed for a total of 30,901 catheter-days with a median catheter life of 102 days ranging from 2 to 471 days. The most suitable vein for the insertion was a basilic vein. The insertion depth from the cubital fossa to the point of the lower third superior vena cava was found to have a strong correlation with body surface area. Suspected catheter infection requiring catheter removal was observed 30 times (0.97/1000 catheter-days) and catheter-related bloodstream infection was observed 2 times (0.06/1000 catheter-days). All the responsible pathogens were Staphylococcus epidermidis. As notable complications, fibrin sheath formation were seen in 4 patients and catheter tip migration to the thorax in 1 patient.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that PICC is safe and effective in pediatric and young adult patients receiving long-term treatment. However, clinicians should be aware of the possible complications during PICC use.