BACKGROUND Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are associated with central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI). The magnitude of this risk relative to central venous catheters (CVCs) is unknown. OBJECTIVE To compare risk of CLABSI between PICCs and CVCs. METHODS MEDLINE, CinAHL, Scopus, EmBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched. Full-text studies comparing the risk o...

treatment of critically ill patients. For skilled intensive care unit (ICU) physicians, insertion of these catheters in large central veins is routine practice. Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) were used in the early phase of intensive care as a surrogate for centrally inserted lines by less experienced physicians and in some departments (for example, hematology) with very specif...

AIMS OF THE STUDY In our hospital, a previous attempt to introduce peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) was aborted after a nonsystematic approach, seemingly accompanied by high rates of complications. The goal of this new interdisciplinary project was to introduce PICCs in an academic hospital, with an embedded interdisciplinary surveillance programme for both infectious and noninfec...

INTRODUCTION Safe and reliable vascular access is essential for the treatment and care of burn patients. Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are widely used for various groups of critically and chronically ill patients. However, the information about PICC use and management for burn patients is limited. METHODS The Institutional Review Board approved retrospective cohort chart rev...

Thrombus associated with peripherally inserted central catheterization is not uncommon. Treatment is typically conservative; however, more aggressive therapies can be considered in patients with tenuous medical condition. The authors present a patient with metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma masquerading as peripherally inserted central catheter-associated intra-atrial thrombus, subsequently re...

To cite: Alwassia A, Chaubey VK, Patibandla B, et al. BMJ Case Rep Published online: [please include Day Month Year] doi:10.1136/bcr2013-200313 DESCRIPTION A 75-year-old man with a history of atrial fibrillation presented with altered mental status. He was intubated in the emergency department for airway protection. A CT scan of the brain revealed multiple embolic strokes. He also developed asp...