Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter by Interventional Nephrologists: Experiences from a Single Center

PURPOSE: As the number of patients with chronic kidney disease increases, nephrologist activities are gradually expanding. This study evaluated the safety and success of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) performed by nephrologists. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of a medical center. All patients underwent a PICC procedure by two nephrologists. The reasons for catheter removal were classified as accidental removal; treatment termination; catheter occlusion; vessel thrombosis; catheter-related infection, or patient death. Overall catheter complications were defined as catheter occlusion, vessel thrombosis, or catheter-related infection. RESULTS: A total of 335 catheterizations among 286 patients were performed. Overall, catheter removal was required during follow-up in 251 of 335 cases. The catheter was removed in 48 out of 251 (19.1%) cases with catheter-related complications. In univariate and multivariate analyses, diabetes mellitus was associated with catheter-related infection. The catheter survival rates were 85.3% at 1 month. In univariate and multivariate analyses, diabetes mellitus and fluoroscopy-guided insertion were associated with favorable catheter survival. CONCLUSION: The results of our study showed high success and low complication rates for PICC insertion by nephrologists. These findings indicate that interventional nephrologists already skilled in other procedures can expand their field of activity and profit.