A Retrospective Assessment of Midline Catheter Failures Focusing on Catheter Composition

Vascular access specialists are responsible for assessing the patient in their unique situation and determining the correct vascular access device to complete the therapeutic goal without complication or failure. This retrospective cohort study compared the failure rates of a variety of polyurethane (PU) midline catheters and a midline catheter constructed of an emerging hydrophilic biomaterial (HBM). A total of 205 patients received a midline catheter and were situationally randomized by the facility where they received it. Patients who had received a midline catheter between March 2021 and May 2021 were assessed for catheter-related failures leading to increased staff time, delays in treatment, or replacement with a new vascular access device to complete the therapy. There were 101 patients in the PU cohort and 104 patients in the HBM cohort. Comparing overall failure rates between the groups revealed a 23.8% failure rate in the PU control group and only a 3.8% failure rate in the HBM group. This suggests that a midline catheter constructed of HBM biomaterial is associated with significantly lower rates of failure, thereby improving patient experience and health care economics.