An evaluation of peripherally inserted central venous catheters for children with cancer requiring long-term venous access.

Long-term venous access is essential when treating malignant diseases. We reviewed our experience with peripherally inserted central venous catheters (PICC) in children suffering from various malignancies with regard to catheter life, reasons for removal, and complications. Ninety-three PICCs were inserted in 78 children. Median catheter life was 162 days (range 6-575 days) with a total of 16,266 catheter days. Seventy-five PICCs (80.6%) had been placed until the elective removal or patients' death, whereas 18 PICCs (19.4%) were removed due to PICC-related complications; a rate of 1.11 per 1,000 catheter days. Complications requiring removal of PICCs included infection (n = 12), occlusion (n = 3), dislodgement (n = 2), and phlebitis (n = 1) with rates of 0.74, 0.18, 0.12 and 0.06 per 1,000 catheter days, respectively. We conclude that PICC provides reliable long-term intravenous access in children suffering from malignancies.