A multicenter retrospective study on 4480 implanted PICC-ports: A GAVeCeLT project

Area of Science:

• Vascular Access Devices
• Interventional Cardiology
• Medical Device Technology

Background:

• PICC-ports are totally implantable central venous devices inserted in the upper limb.
• Utilize state-of-the-art PICC insertion techniques including ultrasound guidance and ECG tip localization.
• Reservoir placement is in the middle third of the arm, offering a distinct anatomical positioning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of PICC-ports in a large, unselected patient cohort.
• To determine the primary outcome of device failure, defined as serious adverse events requiring removal.
• To assess the incidence of temporary adverse events not requiring device removal.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective multicenter cohort study conducted by GAVeCeLT.
• Inclusion of 4480 adult patients undergoing PICC-port insertion over 60 months across five Italian centers.
• Primary endpoint: device failure; Secondary endpoint: temporary adverse events.

Main Results:

• Median follow-up of 15.5 months.
• Overall device failure rate of 1.2% (52 cases), with local infection (0.16%) and catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) (0.42%) as main causes.
• Symptomatic catheter-related thrombosis occurred in 2.1% of cases, necessitating removal in only 0.02%.

Conclusions:

• PICC-ports are safe and effective venous access devices.
• They represent a viable alternative to traditional arm-ports and chest-ports.
• Recommended for patients requiring chemotherapy or other long-term intermittent intravenous treatments.