Peripherally inserted central catheters in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: Central venous catheters (CVC) are essential for the management of patients with hematologic malignancies, facilitating chemotherapy infusion, antibiotics, parenteral nutrition, blood products, and blood samples collection. In this population, peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) seem to be associated with lower complications, compared with conventional percutaneously inserted devices (CICC). Data on the PICC in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell recipients (allo-HSCT) are limited. METHODS: We have prospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of 100 polyurethanes or silicone PICC, inserted into 100 adult allo-HSCT recipients, at the Hematology of Sapienza University of Rome (Italy), between October 2012 and August 2017. RESULTS: The median duration of PICC placement was 117 days. Overall, 68% of patients maintained the device for the entire transplant procedure and PICC were removed after day 100 from allo-HSCT; of these, 44% did not experienced any PICC-related complications. Catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) occurred in 32% of patients (2.5/1000 PICC days), associated with thrombosis in 8 cases. CRBSI were observed in 42% of patients with polyurethane and 20% with silicone PICC (p = 0.02). Catheter-related thrombosis occurred in 9% of patients, never requiring anticipated PICC removal. Mechanical complications occurred in 15% of cases (1.2/1000 PICC days). On the whole, adverse events were manageable and did not affect transplant outcome. No deaths related to PICC-complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: PICC are a safe and reliable long-term venous access in allo-HSCT recipients.

Catheter-associated bloodstream infections and thrombotic risk in hematologic patients with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC).

PURPOSE: The use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) as an alternative to other central venous access devices (CVAD) is becoming very frequent in cancer patients. To evaluate the impact of complications associated to these devices in patients with hematologic malignancies, we revised the catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) and the catheter-related thrombotic complications (CRTC) observed at our institute between January 2009 and December 2012. METHODS: A total of 612 PICCs were inserted into 483 patients at diagnosis or in subsequent phases of their hematologic disease. PICCs were successfully inserted in all cases. The median duration of in situ PICC placement was 101 days (interquartile range, 48-184 days). RESULTS: A CRBSI occurred in 47 cases (7.7 %), with a rate of 0.59 per 1000 PICC days. A CRTC was recorded in 16 cases (2.6 %), with a rate of 0.20 per 1000 PICC days. No serious complication was associated to these events. Cox regression analyses of variables associated to CRBSIs and to CRTCs showed that only the type of disease (acute leukemia compared to other diseases) was significantly associated to a higher incidence of CRBSIs, while no feature was predictive for a higher risk of CRTCs. CONCLUSIONS: PICCs represent a useful and safe alternative to conventional CVAD for the management of patients with hematologic malignancies.