Device Related Thrombosis and Bleeding in Pediatric Health Care: A Meta-analysis

The risk of invasive device-related thrombosis and bleeding contributes to morbidity and mortality, yet their prevalence by device-types is poorly understood.

This study aimed to estimate pooled proportions and rates of thrombotic and bleeding complications associated with invasive devices in pediatric health care.

Medline, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane CENTRAL, clinical trial registries, and unpublished study databases were searched.

Cohort studies and trials published from January 2011 to June 2022, including (1) indwelling invasive devices, (2) pediatric participants admitted to a hospital, (3) reporting thrombotic and bleeding complications, and (4) published in English, were included.

Meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology guidelines for abstracting and assessing data quality and validity were used.

Device-specific pooled thromboses (symptomatic, asymptomatic, unspecified) and bleeding (major, minor).

Of the 107 studies, 71 (66%) focused on central venous access devices. Symptomatic venous thromboembolism in central venous access devices was 4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3-5; incidence rate 0.03 per 1000 device-days, 95% CI, 0.00-0.07), whereas asymptomatic was 10% (95% CI, 7-13; incidence rate 0.25 per 1000 device-days, 95% CI, 0.14-0.36). Both ventricular assist devices (28%; 95% CI, 19-39) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (67%; 95% CI, 52-81) were often associated with major bleeding complications.

This comprehensive estimate of the incidence and prevalence of device-related thrombosis and bleeding complications in children can inform clinical decision-making, guide risk assessment, and surveillance.