Peripherally Inserted Central Venous Catheter (PICC) Related Bloodstream Infection in Cancer Patients Treated with Chemotherapy Compared with Noncancer Patients: A Propensity-Score-Matched Analysis

The use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) has increased in cancer patients. This study aimed to compare the incidence of PICC-related bloodstream infections (PICCR-BSIs) in cancer patients treated with chemotherapy and in noncancer patients. We performed a secondary analysis from a retrospective, single-center, observational cohort. The PICCR-BSI incidence rates in cancer and noncancer patients were compared after 1:1 propensity-score matching. Then, the factors associated with PICCR-BSI were assessed in a Cox model. Among the 721 PICCs (627 patients) included in the analysis, 240 were placed in cancer patients for chemotherapy and 481 in noncancer patients. After propensity-score matching, the PICCR-BSI incidence rate was 2.6 per 1000 catheter days in cancer patients and 1.0 per 1000 catheter days in noncancer patients (p < 0.05). However, after adjusting for variables resulting in an imbalance between groups after propensity-score matching, only the number of PICC lumens was independently associated with PICCR-BSI (adjusted hazard ratio 1.81, 95% confidence interval: 1.01–3.22; p = 0.04). In conclusion, the incidence rate of PICCR-BSI is higher in cancer patients treated with chemotherapy than in noncancer patients, but our results also highlight the importance of limiting the number of PICC lumens in such patients.