Analysis of Risk Factors for Peripherally Inserted Central Venous Catheter-Associated Bloodstream Infection

Purpose: Despite guidelines on the prevention of central venous line-associated bloodstream infection, it is left to the clinical judgment of the attending physician to determine the risk of infection and how long a central line should remain in place. This study aimed to identify risk factors for peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC)-associated infection.Methods: This retrospective study included 1,136 patients with a PICC who were hospitalized at the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital (January 2015 to January 2022). Electronic medical records were reviewed for patients with positive blood cultures. Patients with suspicion of infection at the PICC insertion site or with unclear infection at other sites were defined as having a PICC-associated infection.Results: Thirty-five patients (3.08%) had a PICC-associated infection. There were significant differences in hypertension (p = 0.026), lung disease (p = 0.001), PICC duration > 14 days, and antibiotic use before PICC insertion (p = 0.016) between no PICC-associated infection, and infection in the bloodstream. Total parenteral nutrition with PICC was not significantly different between groups. Logistic regression analysis identified hypertension, lung disease, PICC duration > 14 days (OR 2.088, 95% CI 1.032-4.224, p = 0.041), and antibiotic use before PICC insertion (OR 0.159, 95% CI 0.049-0.515, p = 0.002) as independent risk factors for PICC-associated infection.Conclusion: The study suggested that PICCs maintained longer than 14 days is a risk factor for PICC-associated infection. Antibiotic use prior to PICC insertion was observed as a negative factor for PICC-associated infection.