Safety profile of midline catheters in patients with active malignancy.

Abstract

e18046 Background: Patients with malignancy often require a safe and reliable intravascular access for disease management along the spectrum of diagnosis to end-of-life care. Despite a growing interest on the use of midlines, there is a scarcity of data on their safety in cancer patients. Data from observational studies suggest a lower rate of thrombotic and infectious complications when compared to peripherally-inserted central catheters (PICCs). However, there are no formal recommendations tailored to oncologic patients on when to prefer one type of vascular access versus another. Methods: We retrospectively gathered data from all midline catheters inserted in patients with active cancer at our institution from January 2016 to June 2017, totaling 159 procedures. Our primary analysis sought to determine the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE), CRBSI and bleeding. Results: Out of a total of 159 procedures performed in patients with solid tumor and hematologic malignancies, chemotherapy infusion was the indication in 17 (10.69%), with difficult intravenous access being the indication in 97 patients (61%) and prolonged antibiotic therapy in 44 patients (27.6%). Only one patient got a midline for peripheral parenteral nutrition. The mean dwell time of midline catheters was 9.4 days. A total of 5 patients (3.14%) developed catheter-associated thromboembolic episodes. All of them had metastatic solid tumors. No events were reported in patients with hematologic malignancies. Of note, 2 of these 5 patients had a prior history of VTE. The number of days from device insertion to VTE ranged from 2-14 days, with an average of 9.5 days. Catheter-related infection occurred in 1 patient (0.62% or 0.66 per 1000 catheter-days). No bleeding complications were reported. Conclusions: Midline catheters appear to be a safe and cost-effective alternative for secure vascular access, especially in patients with non-metastatic solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Caution and close monitoring for occurrence of VTE are advised for those with high metastatic burden and prior history of VTE. The rate of infectious complications are low, which is in concordance with previous literature.