Peripherally inserted central catheters can be an alternative to tunneled central venous catheters in chemotherapy for hematological and oncological pediatric patients

Infographic · Dec 2023 · 1 min read

In brief

Retrospective study of 133 catheters in pediatric cancer patients found PICCs are a viable alternative to tunneled CVCs for chemotherapy delivery, with comparable complication rates and advantages of simpler insertion without general anesthesia. PICCs had shorter indwelling times but allowed treatment completion without catheter exchange.

PICCs showed similar complication rates to TCVs (infections, thrombosis, obstruction) in pediatric chemotherapy patients
PICC insertion requires no general anesthesia and allows significantly faster treatment initiation versus TCVs
Median indwelling time was 99 days for PICCs vs 182 days for TCVs, but PICCs alone completed chemotherapy courses
PICCs offer simpler insertion with fewer severe complications while maintaining efficacy for pediatric oncology treatment

Written by the GCMD Library team from the infographic.

Three-panel infographic with red sidebar on left showing study details (Tokyo, Japan; retrospective cohort 2007-2022). Center panel displays simple icon illustrations of two children and a torso diagram showing PICC placement versus tunneled catheter. Right panel shows three outcome metrics with icons: a calendar for insertion time, a sleeping child for anesthesia use, and an IV stand for chemotherapy completion.

New infographic by Dr. Jose Campos and the Chilean Society of Pediatric Surgeons

"Peripherally inserted central catheters can be an alternative to tunneled central venous catheters in chemotherapy for hematological and oncological pediatric patients"

Authors: Yuko Kamata, Yuki Mizuno, Kentaro Okamoto, Shota Okamoto, Yoshifumi Ito, Aya Nishigata

Full article: https://gcmd.co/4a3n09A

Abstract

Purpose: Tunneled central venous catheters (TCVs) are commonly used for pediatric chemotherapy. Recently, peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) have been used instead. Although PICC has the advantages of simpler insertion and fewer severe complications, there is little information on the efficacy of PICC compared to TCV in pediatric chemotherapy.

Methods: Patients, aged younger than 18 years, with primary malignancy who received chemotherapy with PICC or TCV at our institution from December 2007 to August 2022 were included in the study. We retrospectively compared PICC and TCV using medical records.

Results: Within the observation period, 133 catheters (73 PICCs and 60 TCVs) were inserted. The median indwelling time was 99 days for PICCs and 182 days for TCVs, with TCVs being significantly longer (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the incidence of complications, such as infections, thrombosis, obstruction, or mechanical accidents. Comparing patients treated with PICC (PICC group) versus those with TCV (TCV group), the time from diagnosis to insertion was significantly shorter in the PICC group (p < 0.001). In the PICC group, none of the patients required general anesthesia, and chemotherapy was completed with PICC only.

Conclusion: PICC can be an alternative to TCV in pediatric chemotherapy.

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