• Roberto Bortolussi, Paola Zotti, Maria Conte, Rita Marson, Jerry Polesel, Annamaria Colussi, Donatella Piazza, Gianna Tabaro, and Simon Spazzapan.
• Palliative Care and Pain Therapy Unit, CRO Aviano National Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy. Electronic address: rbortolussi@cro.it.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2015 Jul 1; 50 (1): 118-23.

ContextIntravenous fluid administration with peripherally inserted central venous catheters (PICCs) and midline catheters in palliative care.ObjectivesTo evaluate distress and pain perceived by patients during the positioning of a PICC or midline catheter, both in the home and hospice settings.MethodsThis was a prospective observational study performed by the Palliative Care Network of Pordenone. In addition to evaluating distress and pain, we monitored patient quality of life and the devices used. Quality of life was measured with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Core 15-Palliative scale.ResultsFrom May 2012 to July 2013, 48 patients were enrolled in the study. The level of distress during the procedure was null or very low in 95.8% of the patients and completely absent after one week. Pain during insertion was null or very little in 93.8% of the patients and zero after one week in 98% of the patients. Quality of life was significantly improved after one week for certain specific parameters and also globally. The number of catheter days monitored was 3097. The weekly monitoring of the devices revealed a series of minor complications. Only two catheters were removed for serious complications.ConclusionOur results showed a low impact on pain and distress, a low level of local and systemic complications and a favorable impact on patients' quality of life. However, other studies are necessary to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the use of these devices and their role in palliative care.Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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