Incorporating anti-infective drugs into peripherally inserted catheters does not reduce infection rates in neonates

PurposeThis study assesses whether peripherally inserted central venous catheters (PICC), impregnated with anti-infective drugs, reduce the rate of infections in neonates compared with unimpregnated catheters.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on electronic patient records of neonates born between August 2014 and May 2020, who had PICCs inserted, either standard (S-PICC) or with anti-infective drugs (A-PICC). Catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) were diagnosed based on clinical symptoms, laboratory results, and mentioning of infection in the patient record. Data on dwell time, mechanical ventilation, insertion site, maximum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration, and anti-infective drug use were analyzed.ResultsA total of 223 PICCs were included. The infection rates were A-PICC (18.9%) and S-PICC (12.5%), which were not significantly different (p = 0.257). A-PICCs had significantly longer dwell times than S-PICCs (median 372 vs. 219 h, p = 0.004). The time to infection was not different between the groups (p = 0.3). There were also no significant differences in maximum CRP, insertion site abnormalities, or anti-infective drug use between the groups.ConclusionThis retrospective study did not find a significant reduction in infection rates by using PICCs containing anti-infective drugs in neonates. Current antibiotic impregnations do not seem to be effective in preventing blood stream infections.