Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter-Related Skin Injury in Patients with a Chest Tumor: Characteristics and Risk Factors

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To investigate the characteristics and risk factors of skin injury in patients with chest tumors who have peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs). METHODS This study included a total of 252 patients with chest tumors with PICC placement who were treated from March 2018 to December 2021 in a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China. Investigators used univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression to identify the risk factors. RESULTS Among the included patients, 40.8% had skin injuries (n = 103). Skin injury occurred between 2 and 361 days after PICC placement, with a median time of 56.0 days (interquartile range, 20.75–99.25 days). Skin injury may occur during catheter retention and be concentrated in the first 3 months after PICC placement; the occurrence trajectory of skin injury exhibits a downward trend. Logistic regression analysis shows that skin injury is more likely to occur if the patient has a history of smoking, allergy history, use of recombinant human endostatin, or an excessive duration of catheter retention. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of PICC-related skin injury in patients with chest tumors remains high. Medical practitioners should be aware of its characteristics and risk factors and adopt effective solutions early to mitigate the occurrence of skin injury and improve patients’ safety.