Search

BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to elucidate the association between peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) in upper extremities and lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (LEDVT) by observing the changes in D-dimer.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study with 3452 patients (104 inserted with PICCs and 3348 without PICC) enrolled at the neurology department from April 1, 2017 to April 1, 2020. The patients underwent color Doppler ultrasound (CDU) and D-dimer examinations. LEDVT-related factors and D-dimer value were analyzed before and after PICC insertion. The predictive value of D-dimer for LEDVT was also evaluated.ResultsUnivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PICC insertion increased the risk of LEDVT by 9 times and promoted the increase of D-dimer by 5 times. After risk adjustment, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PICC insertion increased the risk of LEDVT by 4 times and tripled the risk of D-dimer increase. The concentration of D-dimer was significantly increased after PICC insertion. D-dimer was unsuitable for excluding venous thrombosis in patients inserted with PICCs.ConclusionsPICC insertion increases the level of D-dimer and the risk of LEDVT. The risks of venous thrombosis need to be assessed in patients inserted with PICCs to ensure the expected clinical outcomes.

AIMS To examine the effectiveness of D-dimer values to be used as an independent diagnostic marker for excluding peripherally inserted central catheter-associated upper extremity deep vein thrombosis and superficial vein thrombosis. DESIGN This was a retrospective case-cohort study. METHODS Records were reviewed for 281 patients who underwent peripherally inserted central catheter insertion between 1 October 2017 and 1 October 2019. According to the modified Wells score after peripherally inserted central catheter insertion, the patients who had low vein thrombosis risk underwent a D-dimer test and colour Doppler ultrasound. RESULTS Among 281 patients, 180 patients (64%, 95% CI: 58.2%-69.4%) had negative D-dimer results and 39 of 180 patients had vein thrombosis despite having a negative D-dimer result, resulting in a failure rate of 21.7% (95% CI: 16.3%-28.3%). The negative predictive value of peripherally inserted central catheter-associated vein thrombosis in the cancer group (80.0%, 95% CI: 73.2%-85.4%) was higher than that of the non-cancer group (60.0%, 95% CI: 35.7%-80.2%). The negative predictive value of peripherally inserted central catheter-associated deep venous thrombosis (84.9%, 95% CI: 78.7%-89.6%) was lower than that of the PICC-associated superficial venous thrombosis (91.0%, 95% CI: 85.4%-94.6%). CONCLUSION The D-dimer levels maybe should not be used as a diagnostic index to rule out peripherally inserted central catheter-associated upper extremity vein thrombosis.

Background: With the in-depth study of Peripherally Inserted Central venous Catheter (PICC) related venous thrombosis, it is found that the incidence of lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (LEDVT) in patients with PICC in upper extremities is higher than that in patients without PICC . However, there is no explanation for this clinical phenomenon that PICC related venous thrombosis seems to have exceeded the range of PICC travel . The purpose of this study is to elucidate this association between PICC in upper extremities and LEDVT by observing the changes of D-dimer . Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of adults in Neurology department who underwent Color Doppler ultrasound and D-dimer test between 1 April 2017 to 1 April 2020. We analyzed the related factors of LEDVT and the change of D-dimer value, compared the changes of D-dimer before and after PICC insertion, and evaluated the predictive value of D-dimer in patients with and without PICC. Results: ① It was found that the presence of PICC increased the risk of lower extremity venous thrombosis by 7 times (OR = 7.048 [95% CI: 4.486-11.074]; ②It was found that the presence of PICC promoted the increase of D-dimer value (OR = 5.133 [95% CI: 3.072-8.575]). ③ For patients without LEDVT, the level of D-dimer in patients with PICC was higher than that in patients without PICC (P < 0.05). ④ The level of D-dimer after PICC insertion was significantly higher than that before PICC insertion(P < 0.05). ⑤ In patients with PICC, the AUC value of D-dimer in the diagnosis of LEDVT was 0.657 (95% CI: 0.549-0.765), and the negative predictive value was 82.35%.Conclusion:PICC insertion may increase the level of D-dimer and become an important risk factor of LEDVT; For patients with PICC , D-dimer value is not suitable to rule out LEDVT.

The objective of this study is to explore the relevant risk factors of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in burn patients. A retrospective analysis was conducted for the medical records of 845 hospitalized burn patients from September 2012 to August 2017. Caprini thrombosis risk assessment scale (CTRAS) was employed for evaluating the risks of DVT. Based upon whether or not DVT occurred, they were divided into non-DVT group (n = 830) and DVT group (n = 15). Among 360 (42.7%) patients with high-risk Caprini scores, only 30 patients received color Doppler examination of lower limb veins, and 15 patients were diagnosed as DVT with a diagnostic rate of 1.8%. Caprini scores of non-DVT and DVT groups were 4.30 ± 2.71 and 9.87 ± 1.46 points, respectively. There was statistically significant difference (P < .05). As revealed by stepwise Logistic regression analysis, age, lower limb burn, wound infection, femoral vein catheterization, and long bedriddening time (>40 days) were independent risk factors for DVT. Burn patients are particularly prone to develop DVT. Age, wound infection, femoral vein catheterization, and long bedriddening time (>40 days) are risk factors. Aggressive preventive measures of DVT should be implemented.

The purpose of the present study was to examine a new protocol involving the spontaneous correction of the misplaced tip of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC). Patients with PICCs misplaced in the jugular or contralateral subclavian veins were recruited. All patients underwent chest X-ray (CXR) after 3 days. In addition, those whose PICC tip still was misplaced and received another CXR after 4 days. The functions of the catheters, the subjective feelings of the patients, and local symptoms of the neck and upper anterior chest wall were recorded. Among 866 patients who had PICCs, we observed 22 PICC tips misplaced in the jugular, 3 tips misplaced in the contralateral subclavian vein, and 7 tips misplaced in other locations, which was confirmed by CXR. A total of 22 PICC tips automatically returned to the superior vena cava, which included all 3 tips in the contralateral subclavian vein and 19 tips in the jugular vein. All catheters functioned normally, and the patients had no complaints. In addition, we observed no local symptoms of the neck and upper anterior chest wall. For patients experiencing a PICC misplaced in the jugular and contralateral subclavian veins, there is no need to manually replace. In addition, the function of the catheter can remain normal.

Objective To explore the abilities and barriers of practicing evidence-based nursing (EBN) for burn specialist nurses so as to provide rationales for its clinical training and practice. Methods From January 2016 to March 2016, a cross-sectional survey was conducted with a self-designed questionnaire among burn specialist nurses in Hunan Province. Data analysis was performed with SPSS software (version 20). Results Burn specialist nurses in Hunan Province had diminished EBN abilities. The three procedures of EBN with the lowest score were “summarizing evidence through systematic reviews”, “rigorous evaluations of evidence” and “systematic literature searches”. And the three procedures of “clarifying problems”, “disseminating evidence” and “introducing evidence” scored the highest. The systematic literature retrieval ability of nurses at class III general hospitals was higher than that of class II counterparts (P = 0.001). Thus EBN ability was positively correlated with barriers to practicing EBN, English proficiency, research experiences and educator status. Conclusion Burn specialist nurses at classes III & II general hospitals in Hunan Province had poor EBN abilities. Influencing factors of EBN ability included barriers to practicing EBN, English proficiency, research experiences and educator status. Therefore it is imperative to implement targeted trainings and integrated managements for improved ability of practicing EBN.