Central venous catheter vs. Peripherally inserted central venous catheter in a level III neonatal intensive care unit

Catéter venoso central vs. el central de inserción periférica en una unidad de cuidado intensivo neonatal de tercer nivel

Introduction: a central venous catheter is a device usually placed in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), for delivering parenteral nutrition and medication with high osmolarity, and may be required for prolonged periods. Appropriate training is essential for Its placement and manipulation to prevent complications. Objective: to determine the central venous catheter (CVC) versus the peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) behavior, in neonates hospitalized in a NICU. Materials and Methods: a descriptive, comparative study performed in neonates hospitalized in the NICU, between 2019 and 2021. One hundred four (104) patients had a CVC placement, and 158 a PICC placement. Sociodemographic, clinical and cost variables were recorded.  Results and Discussion: a difference in the indwelling time of catheter placement was evidenced in the study: 6 days in the PICC group and 3 days in the CVC group. The reasons for catheter withdrawal were bacteremia and sepsis in 19.2% of the CVC group and 7% of the PICC group. Health care-associated infection was evidenced in13.5% in the central catheter group and in 3.2% in the peripherally inserted catheter group. Conclusion: peripherally inserted central venous catheters have a high success rate during insertion, lower infection rates and lower costs compared with central venous catheters.