Upper Limb Deep Venous Thrombosis Associated With Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters in Hospitalised Surgical Patients.

Introduction Surgical inpatients frequently require peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) for parenteral feeding and administration of medication. PICCs may cause upper limb deep venous thrombosis (ULDVT), which impacts patient morbidity. We investigated the risk and prevention of PICC-ULDVT in hospitalised surgical inpatients. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of 168 consecutive surgical inpatients who received a PICC over the same four-year period. Data from 136 additional consecutive general medical inpatients with PICCs over the same period were included for comparison. We observed and compared the incidence of ULDVT confirmed on dedicated upper limb venous imaging in the cohort of surgical patients compared to a time matched cohort of medical patients. We extracted data including patient demographics, details of admission, and insertion site of the PICC from the hospital electronic notes. Results The incidence of ULDVT in surgical patients was 4.7% compared to 1.5% in medical patients despite increased age (p=0.001) and comorbidity burden (p=0.001) in the latter group. Ninety percent of surgical patients had abdominal surgery within 30 days of PICC placement. Regression multivariate analysis identified concurrent cancer (p=0.048), median Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (p=0.034), admission with malignant bowel obstruction (p=0.002), and catheter insertion into the brachial vein (p=0.033) as significant risk factors for PICC-ULDVT in hospitalised surgical patients. Standard pharmacological venous thromboembolic events (VTE) prophylaxis, as per national guidelines, did not reduce the risk of PICC-ULDVT. Conclusion Our study indicates that surgical inpatients are at greater risk of developing PICC-associated upper limb deep vein thrombosis (ULDVT) compared to medical inpatients, with limited evidence supporting the effectiveness of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis in reducing this risk. PICCs should be used with caution in patients with cancer, cancer-related bowel obstruction, and surgical patients with a higher comorbidity index. PICCs inserted via the basilic vein may reduce ULDVT risk, but further studies are needed on the preferential site of insertion in surgical patients.