A Single-Centre Experience of an Anesthesia-Led Pediatric Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Service at a Specialized Cancer Institute

Abstract

Introduction: To report our experience of establishing a pediatric peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line procedure led by the anesthesia department of a tertiary care cancer center. Materials / Patients and Methods: A retrospective review was conducted over a period of 28 months. Variables such as demographic data, indications, the number of days the line remained in situ, and the frequency of adverse events were considered. Results A total of 112 patients between the ages of one and fourteen years who had PICC lines inserted were included. All procedures were done under general anesthesia by two separate anesthesia teams with established protocols. Insertion was guided by ultrasonography through the basilic (n = 84, 75%), median cubital (n = 12, 10.7%), femoral (n=1, 0.9%), or cephalic (n=15, 13.39%) veins in the non-dominant arm. The insertion success rate was 97.3% while the unsuccessful in 2.7%. The 4Fr (French number) PICC line was used in 95 (84.82%) patients and 5F in 17 (15.17%) patients. The PICC line was used for an average of 85.47 days (ranging from 0 to 350 days). Chemotherapy (n = 89, 78.47%), difficult Intravenous (IV) access (n=15, 13.39%), and palliative care (n=8 7.14%) patients require long-term venous access. 38 (33.92%) patients had completed treatment with PICC line while 4 (3.57%) patients lost follow-up. Conclusion: PICC - lines are an essential element of cancer treatment in children. Anesthesia-led PICC line service is a reliable option. They maintain operating room, PICC line sterility during insertion, and complications comparable to follow the recommended precautions.