Leukemia & lymphoma
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Leukemia & lymphoma · Jun 2012
Comparative StudyVascular access devices in leukemia: a retrospective review amongst patients treated at the Ottawa Hospital with induction chemotherapy for acute leukemia.
Patients with acute leukemia require reliable central vascular access to ensure delivery of intravenous therapy. Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and Hickman(®) catheters are two commonly inserted central vascular catheters (CVCs), providing access to the central vascular space. While there have been reports describing individual center experiences, no one has compared the two devices, retrospectively or prospectively. ⋯ Compared to PICC-U/S, H-IR had fewer cases of thrombophlebitis (0.0% vs. 8.7%); H-IR also required fewer instillations of a thrombolytic agent than the PICC-U/S (8.1% vs. 69.6%). Both CVCs have shown improvements from pre- to post-2007 insertion methods. Our data suggest that there were fewer complications with post-2007 Hickman(®) catheters compared to PICCs, suggesting that Hickman® catheters provide a more reliable central vascular access in these patients.