• Sarah Y Qian, Matthias T Horn, Richard Barnes, and David Armstrong.
• 1 Department of Respiratory Medicine, Monash Children's Hospital, Melbourne - Australia.
• J Vasc Access. 2014 Sep 1; 15 (5): 415-7.

PurposeLong intravenous catheters are an effective and economical choice of vascular access for intravenous antibiotic therapy in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). This prospective audit assesses the use of Vygon Leaderflex 22G × 8 cm catheters in an Australian tertiary centre. Key outcomes included catheter lifespan, ability to complete antibiotic therapy and complication rates.MethodsAll paediatric patients admitted with infective exacerbations of CF lung disease for 18 months between 2012 and 2013 were prospectively included. Data were analysed using t-tests and Fisher exact test.ResultsA total of 40 successful catheter insertions for 20 patients during 32 admissions were identified. The mean duration of the catheters was 10.08 days (median 9.5, SD=5.0). Of the 32 admissions, antibiotic therapy was completed with long catheters in 78% of cases (n=25) and with a single catheter in 48% (n=19). Rates of local complications were high, but there were no serious adverse outcomes.ConclusionAlthough limited by a small sample size, the results from this study are promising and suggest that 8 cm long catheters are a safe, effective and economical alternative to peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) in treating pulmonary exacerbations in children with CF.

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