Background Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICCs) are long-term intravenous catheters used for drug administration when the duration of parenteral treatment exceeds six days.

Purpose To analyse the incidence and nature of PICC-related complications in routine clinical practice.

Material and methods A monocentric, prospective study. All PICCs implanted between December 1, 2012 and March 6, 2013 were included. Clinical data of inpatients and outpatients were collected until May 1, 2013.

Results Of the 206 PICCs successfully inserted in 184 patients, 204 were analysed. They represented 5,116 catheter-days, of which 1,503 related to outpatients. Antibiotic treatment was the main use (70.5%). At the end of the follow-up, 194 PICCs had been removed with a median duration of 16.0 days (0–97). Complications led to the removal of 58 PICCs: two thromboses, 26 suspected infections, 12 obstructions and 18 accidental removals. The incidence rates were 2.45% or 0.98 per 1,000 catheter-days for catheter-related bloodstream infection with parenteral nutrition as a risk factor (OR = 13.0; CI₉₅: 2.77–82.38, p = 0.0002), and 0.98% or 0.39 per 1,000 catheter-days for thrombosis. Catheter obstruction occurred for 40/204 PICCs with blood transfusion and blood samples as risk factors (OR = 3.0; CI₉₅: 1.21–8.53, p = 0.01).

Conclusion Due to their low organic complication rates and their significant use for outpatients, PICCs appear to be a good alternative if there is a need for central venous access in case of a medium- or a long-term catheter. A better understanding of their usage and training of healthcare workers are required to avoid complications.

References and/or acknowledgements No conflict of interest.