For home parenteral nutrition, PICCs should be used for short-term therapy

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

According to a new study published in the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JPEN), researchers at Aalborg University in Aalborg, Denmark, have found that using a peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) for one additional infusion day per week significantly reduced the amount of time before a first bloodstream infection.

For the study, researchers sought to examine whether environmental factors have an influence on the amount of time before a first infection in home parenteral nutrition patients.

Researchers enrolled 136 patients suffering from intestinal failure who were receiving home parenteral nutrition. There was a total of 169 tunneled vascular access devices and 126 PICCs used.

Researchers also found that using a tunneled vascular access device managed by a home care nurse increased the incidence of bloodstream infections.

The authors conclude that the PICCs should only be used for short-term therapy and when few infusion days per week are necessary.