Association of umbilical venous catheters vs peripherally inserted central catheters with death or severe intraventricular hemorrhage among preterm infants < 30 weeks: A randomized clinical trial

Umbilical venous catheters (UVCs) or peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are routinely inserted in preterm infants for total parenteral nutrition and medications. We aimed to examine whether the rates of severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) or death vary among preterm infants receiving UVCs compared to PICCs.This randomized controlled trial included preterm infants < 30 weeks gestation assigned after birth to either UVC placement group or PICC group.A total of 233 preterm infants (117 infants in UVC group, 116 infants in PICC group) were randomized and collected data was available for intention-to-treat analysis. There were no differences in baseline population characteristics. Severe IVH occurred in 16 infants (13.6%) in the UVC group and 11(9.5%) in the PICC group (risk difference [RD], 4.1% [5% CI, -4 to 12.3]; P = 0.42). The incidence of death before 28 days of life did not differ significantly between groups (10 [8.5% ] in UVC vs 6 [5.1%] in PICC; RD, 3.4% [95% CI, -3.0 to 9.84]; P = 0.44). Seventeen percent (20/117) of the UVC group died or developed severe IVH compared with 12% (14/116) of the PICC group (risk difference, 5% [95% CI, -4.01 -14.06]; P = 0.36). The incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) was significantly higher in the UVC group infants than in the PICC group infants (7.7% vs. 1.7%); p = 0.03.The incidence of severe IVH or death did not differ significantly among preterm m infants < 30 weeks gestation subjected to UVC or PICC placement. Early inotropic support was a significant risk factor for the development of severe IVH. UVC maybe an additional risk factor for the development of NEC, but further research is required to validate this finding.