Emergency service results of central venous catheters: Single center, 1042 patients, 10-year experience

Central venous catheterization is currently an important procedure in critical care. Central catheterization has important advantages in many clinical situations. It can also lead to different complications such as infection, hemorrhage, and thrombosis. It is important to investigate critically ill patients undergoing catheterization.

To evaluate the characteristics, such as hospitalization, demographic characteristics, post-catheterization complications, and mortality relationships, of patients in whom a central venous catheter was placed in the emergency room.

A total of 1042 patients over the age of 18 who presented to the emergency department between January 2005 and December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into three groups, jugular, subclavian, and femoral, according to the area where the catheter was inserted. Complications related to catheterization were determined as pneumothorax, guidewire problems, bleeding, catheter site infection, arterial intervention, and sepsis. Considering the treatment follow-up of the patients, three groups were formed as outpatient treatment, hospitalization, and death.

The mean age of the patients was 60.99 ± 19.85 years; 423 (40.6%) of them were women. Hospitalization time was 11.89 ± 16.38 d. There was a significant correlation between the inserted catheters with gender (P = 0.009) and hospitalization time (P = 0.040). Also, blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and serum potassium values among the biochemical values of the patients who were catheterized were significant. A significant association was observed in the analysis of patients with complications that develop according to the catheter region (P = 0.001) and the outcome stage (P = 0.001). In receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of hospitalization time and mortality area under curve was 0.575, the 95% confidence interval was 0.496-0.653, the sensitivity was 71%, and the specificity was 89% (P = 0.040).

Catheter location and length of stay are important risk factors for catheter-borne infections. Because the risk of infection was lower than other catheters, jugular catheters should be preferred at entry points, and preventive measures should be taken by monitoring patients closely to reduce hospitalization infections.