Mechanical complications of central venous catheters in children: A cohort study

Background: Despite the numerous advantages of central venous catheters (CVCs), they have been associated with a variety of complications. Surveillance for mechanical complications of CVCs is not routine, so the true incidence and impact of this adverse patient outcome remains unclear. Setting and methods: Prospectively collected CVC data on mechanical complications were reviewed from a centralized database for all in-hospital patient days at our tertiary-care hospital from January 2001 to June 2016 in patients aged <19 years. Patient demographics, CVC characteristics, and rates of mechanical complications per 1,000 days of catheter use were described. Results: In total, 8,747 CVCs were placed in 5,743 patients during the study period, which captured 780,448 catheter days. The overall mechanical complication rate was 6.1 per 1,000 catheter days (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.9-6.3). The highest complication rates were in nontunneled lines; this was consistent throughout the 15-year study period. Also, 521 CVCs (similar to 6%) were removed due to mechanical complications before therapy termination. Catheters with tip location in the superior vena cava or right atrium had the fewest complications. Conclusions: Mechanical complications of CVCs are a common and significant event in the pediatric population. We propose that CVC-associated mechanical complications become a routinely reported patient safety outcome.

Automated summary

This study found that mechanical complications of CVCs are common and significant in the pediatric population, with the highest risk seen in non-tunneled lines. The authors suggest that CVC-associated mechanical complications should be routinely reported as a patient safety outcome.