Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC)-related thrombosis in critically ill patients

Background: Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) are being increasingly used in critical care setting. However, PICCs are associated with a number of complications, particularly upper extremity venous thrombosis (UEVT), leading to post-thrombotic syndrome, pulmonary embolism and increased risk of catheter-related infection. Objective: To review the literature surrounding PICCs and highlight the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of PICC-related thrombosis in critically ill patients. Data sources and extraction: We performed an electronic literature search of the databases PubMed, EMBASE and Google scholar using set search terms, from their commencement date to the end of January 2014. Summary of review: It has been shown that PICCs may double the risk of deep venous thrombosis compared with centrally inserted venous catheters, in critically ill patients. However, the incidence of PICC-related thrombosis in critically ill patients has not been quantified. Ultrasonography is the preferred diagnostic imaging modality. There are no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the best treatment of PICC-related thrombosis in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting and in most cohort studies, anticoagulation strategies with or without PICC removal have been used. Conclusions: Decision to insert a PICC should be taken after careful risk stratification. There is lack of high-quality evidence assessing prevention strategies and management of PICC-related thrombosis in the ICU. Well-designed RCTs are required to estimate the prevalence of UEVT in ICU patients with PICCs and evaluate the efficacy and magnitude of clinical benefit and cost-effectiveness of therapeutic strategies.