Prospective follow-up of complications related to peripherally inserted central catheters

Abstract

An increased use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) in French hospitals has been observed in recent years. We report complications having occurred following the placement of PICC in a teaching hospital. Patients and methodsA prospective study was made for 7months, between October 2010 and April 2011, including all patients having undergone PICC placement in interventional radiology. ResultsTwo hundred and sixty-seven PICC were inserted in 222 patients for intravenous antibiotic therapy (68%), parenteral nutrition (13%), or chemotherapy (9%). The median duration of PICC use was 17 days (min–max: 1–140) for the 200 PICC monitored until removal. The most common complication was obstruction (n=41), 16 of which motivated PICC removal (8%). Five cases of vein thrombosis (2.5%) and 20 infectious complications (10%) led to removal. There were 14 accidental removals (7%). The overall infection rate was 2.3 per 1000 catheter-days with 0.86 per 1000 catheter-days for central line-associated bloodstream infection. Thirty-four percent of PICC were removed without any complications without any difference according to use. ConclusionPICC are a simple alternative to standard central venous catheter but the rate of complications is high and could be decreased by a stringent management and training for this type of catheter.