Objective: To characterise the population and describe the complications in patients with hematologic malignancies who underwent implantation of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) or midline catheter (MC) for the administration of chemotherapy or oncologic support.
Methods: The retrospective descriptive study included patients with hematologic malignancies who underwent PICC or MC implantation between July 2022 and 2024. All patients are part of the institution-based prospective observational Evidence – Verification – Analysis study. Variables related to device type were obtained from the vascular access and infection control group databases. Frequencies and percentages were used for categorical variables, and medians and interquartile ranges were used for numerical variables. Event rates per 1,000 days were calculated for complications.
Results: 156 patients with 249 events were included. All devices were high-flow and bi-lumen, the most common indication was chemotherapy administration, and the most common site was brachial. The median days in use for lymphoma and acute leukaemia were 67.5 and 24 days, respectively. The rates of catheter-associated thrombosis and catheter-associated bloodstream infection were 3.2% and 3.7%, respectively. The rates of catheter-related venous thrombosis per 1,000 catheter days and catheter-related bloodstream infection per 1,000 catheter days were 0.31 and 0.83, respectively.
Conclusion: A multidisciplinary approach, thorough initial venous assessment, a strong support network, adherence to care protocols and continuous patient education have helped to reduce variability in care and lower complication rates at our institution.
