University of Michigan Health System study compares risk of blood clots related to CVCs and PICCs
Researchers from University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) compared central venous catheters (CVCs) with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and discovered that the risk of dangerous blood clots doubled with the use of PICCs, especially among ICU and cancer patients.
In the evaluation of deep vein thrombosis risks related to PICCs and in comparison with CVCs, lead study author Vineet Chopra, a hospitalist at UMHS and assistant professor of internal medicine, and other researchers discovered that the incidence of blood clots in patients who received PICCs was more than twofold when compared with patients who received CVCs. Moreover, in ICU and cancer patients, PICC-related deep vein thrombosis occurrence was highest.
The study is published in The Lancet.
Source: University of Michigan Health System.