Current status of central vascular access devices in pediatric patients in 31 hospitals nationwide

Abstract

Objective To explore the currents status of central vascular access devices (CVADs) in children's medical center in China and to provide a reference for the standardized use of CVADs and specialized nursing as well as a basis for pediatric intravenous therapy management. Methods Totally 31 hospitals of Futang Research Center of Pediatric Development, children's hospitals of the medical treatment alliance as well as women and children care centers and general hospitals with pediatric departments were selected by convenient sampling from July 23rd to 31st, 2018. All the pediatric patients using CVADs were investigated with the Central Vascular Access Device Questionnaire which was designed by the research group, and the incidence of complications was also observed. Totally 1 333 questionnaires were collected, among which 1 288 were valid, accounting for an effective recovery rate of 96.62%. Results There were 22 ClassⅢ and 9 ClassⅡ hospitals among the 31 hospitals. Among the 1 288 pediatric patients who used CVADs, 860 used peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) , accounting for 66.77%; 342 used central venous catheters (CVC) , accounting for 26.55%; 77 used implantable venous access port (PORT) , accounting for 5.98%; and 9 used umbilical venous catheters, accounting for 0.70%. CVADs were mainly used in the Departments of Hematological Neoplasms, ICU, Intensive Care Unit Pediatric Surgery, Vasculocardiology and Neonatals. PICC, CVC and PORT were mainly applied to upper extremities (90.00%, 74 cases) , jugular vein (73.39%, 251 cases) and the breast (96.10%, 74 cases) respectively. In the maintenance of CVADs, there was the problem of co-existing dressings. Conclusions CVADs have been widely used in pediatric patients, and the choice of CVADs is relatively standardized. However, the maintenance of the catheters, the use of dressings, the selection of infusion connectors and the control of related complications still need to be strengthened. It is recommended that nursing professionals and nursing managers should further strengthen their knowledge about the placement and maintenance of CVADs, and intensify their management and supervision in accordance with international and national guidelines and standards for intravenous infusion therapy to further reduce the incidence of vascular access complications in pediatric patients. Key words: Hospitals, pediatrics; Complication; Central vascular access; Catheter maintenance; Current status survey