A nurse-inserted Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter program in General Pediatrics: A single-center experience

Background: A peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) with its tip preferably in the vena cava is essential in caring patients with chronic conditions in general pediatrics. However, the information regarding the experience is limited. Objectives: To share the experience of a nurse-inserted peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) program initiated in a general pediatric department. Methods: A retrospective descriptive cohort study based on prospectively collected data was conducted. All PICCs inserted in the departments of gastroenterology and pulmonology in a tertiary pediatric center from Dec. 2015 to Dec. 2019 were included in the study. Complications and risk factors were analyzed by comparing cases with and without complications. We also reported arm movements in malpositioned PICC corrections. Results: There were 169 cases with a median(IQR) age of 42(6, 108) months who received PICC insertion during a 4-year period. Inflammatory bowel disease was the leading diagnosis accounting for 25.4%(43/169) of all cases. The overall complication rate was 16.4 per 1000 catheter days with malposition and obstruction as the two most common complications. Multivariate models performed by logistic regression demonstrated that young age [p=0.004, OR(95%CI) = 0.987(0.978, 0.996)] and small PICC diameter (1.9Fr, p=0.003, OR(95%CI) = 3.936(1.578, 9.818)] were risk factors for PICC complications. Correction of malpositioned catheters was attempted and all succeeded in 9 eligible cases by using arm movements. Conclusion: The nurse-inserted PICC program in general pediatrics is feasible without causing high complication rate. PICC tip malposition and obstruction were two major PICC-related complications, when low age and small catheter lumina were major risk factors. Furtherly, arm manipulation potentially is an easy and effective approach for correcting malpositioned newly-inserted PICC catheters.