Peripheral venous catheter-related bloodstream infection is associated with severe complications and potential death: a retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics and outcomes of peripheral vascular catheter-related bloodstream infections (PVC-BSIs) and determine the risk of severe complications or death. METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational study from June 2010 to April 2015 at two regional university-affiliated hospitals in Tokyo. We studied the clinical manifestations, underlying diseases, laboratory results, treatment methods, recurrence rates, and complications in 62 hospitalized patients diagnosed with PVC-BSIs by positive blood cultures. RESULTS: The median time from admission to bacteremia was 17 days (range, 3–142 days) and that from catheter insertion to bacteremia diagnosis was 6 days (range, 2–15 days). Catheter insertion sites were in the arm in 48 (77.4%) patients, in the foot in 3 (4.8%) patients, and in an unrecorded location in 11 (17.7%) patients. Additionally, the causative pathogens were Gram-positive microorganisms in 58.0% of cases, Gram-negative microorganisms in 35.8% of cases, Candida spp. in 6.2% of cases, and polymicrobials in 25.8% of cases. Eight (12.9%) patients died within 30 days of their blood culture becoming positive. Patients who died of PVC-BSIs had a higher proportion of Staphylococcus aureus infection than patients who survived (odds ratio, 8.33; p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: PVC-BSIs are a significant cause of health care-associated infection. We observed cases of severe PVC-BSI requiring intensive and long-term care along with lengthy durations of antibiotic treatment due to hematogenous complications, and some patients died. For patients with PVC-BSIs, S. aureus bacteremia remains a major problem that may influence the prognosis.