Association of Prophylactic Antibiotics With Early Infectious Complications in Children With Cancer Undergoing Central Venous Access Device Placement

Objective: To evaluate the impact of prophylactic antibiotics on early infectious complications after central venous access device (VAD) placement in children with cancer. Background: Despite the frequency of VAD procedures in children, the effectiveness of prophylactic antibiotics for reducing infectious complications is unknown. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of children with cancer undergoing central VAD placement identified in the Pediatric Health Information System database between 2017 and 2021. The primary outcome was the rate of early infectious complications (composite surgical site infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections, and bacteremia). Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate factors associated with early infection, and heterogeneity of treatment effect of prophylactic antibiotics was compared across subgroups. Results: A total of 9216 patients were included (6058 ports and 3158 tunneled lines). Prophylactic antibiotics were associated with lower early infectious complications overall [1.3% vs 2.4%; odds ratio (OR): 0.55 (95% CI: 0.39-0.79), P < 0.001], an effect demonstrated for tunneled lines (OR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.41-0.84) but not ports (OR: 3.01, 95% CI: 0.66-13.78). On multivariate analysis, prophylactic antibiotics (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.45-0.97) and solid tumors (OR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.22-0.64) were associated with reduced odds of early infections, whereas tunneled lines (OR: 20.78, 95% CI: 9.83-43.93) and acute myelogenous leukemia (OR: 2.37, 95% CI: 1.58-3.57) had increased odds. Conclusions: Prophylactic antibiotics are associated with reduced early infectious complications after central VAD placement overall. Despite recommendations from multiple national organizations against prophylactic antibiotics, these findings suggest a benefit in children with malignancy undergoing tunneled line placement.