Study of the Impact of Frequency of Changing PICCline Dressings in Patients With Acute Leukemia

The PICCline ("Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter") is a central catheter whose brachial insertion is peripheral. It has been widely used for many years for the administration of chemotherapy to patients with cancer. Although its use is growing (2.7 million applications in the USA in 2020), significant infectious complications (especially bacteremia) and even high risks of death are generally associated with it.

In December 2013, the French Society of Hospital Hygiene (SF2H) published a guide of "Recommendations for good practices and management of risks associated with PICC" to help professionals in the use of this device. It states that the rate of dressing repair is set at a maximum of 8 days for a sterile semipermeable transparent dressing; however, this recommendation is based on a questionable level of evidence (grade E level of evidence according to the HAS). In the appendix to this guide, the analysis of the scientific literature does not highlight any articles comparing different dressing repair rates. An observational study was conducted at the University Hospital of Nîmes, in order to determine the rate of infection on PICCline in the Hematology Department. In 2019, out of the 90 PICClines applied (dressing changes every 2 days), 12 infections (local and/or systemic) were noted, i.e. 13.3%.

In order to know the current practices of the different hematology services in France, a survey was conducted to collect protocols for PICCline dressing changes. A total of 23 haematology departments were contacted, 18 of which responded. The observation was made that, although most departments respected the SF2H recommendation (15 out of 18), others proposed different rhythms of care: (a) in the Hematology department at Nîmes University Hospital, dressings are redone every 48 hours, (b) in Montpellier, the frequency was 2 to 3 times a week, (c) in Grenoble, the use of PICCline was abandoned by the medical team who noted too many infections and thromboses associated with this device, and (d) in Toulouse and Strasbourg, the PICCline was used less and less for these same reasons. Moreover, the SF2H recommendations are addressed in a general way to professionals and valid for all patients; but no study can currently affirm that they are applicable to a fragile population of immunocompromised patients in the context of intensive chemotherapy. Hematology patients have a high risk of febrile neutropenia, of around 80%, and this risk of immunosuppression is a non-negligible point in terms of infection prevention during patient management.

In 2019 in France, the Réseau de Prévention des Infections Associées aux Soins launched a campaign to monitor and prevent infections associated with invasive devices. For 3 months, data on the occurrence of infectious episodes were collected in 1001 healthcare facilities. Of the nearly 12,000 bacteremia episodes identified, 25.4% were associated with an intravascular device, 17% of which were PICCline. Moreover, the survey revealed that the highest rates of occurrence were found in the Intensive Care Unit, Oncology and Hematology departments and the prevalence of bacteremia associated with intravascular devices in Hematology represented 39.8%.