Morbidity of peripherally inserted central catheters in pediatric complicated appendicitis

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare postoperative outcomes of pediatric patients with complicated appendicitis managed with or without a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC).

Methods: Patients aged ≤18 y in the Pediatric Health Information System database with complicated appendicitis that underwent appendectomy during their index admission in 2000-2012 were grouped by whether they had a PICC placed using relevant procedure and billing codes. Rates of subsequent encounters within 30 d of discharge along with associated diagnoses and procedures were determined. A propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis was performed to account for differences in baseline exposures and severity of illness.

Results: We included 33,482 patients with complicated appendicitis; of whom, 6620 (19.8%) received a PICC and 26,862 (80.2%) did not. The PICC group had a longer postoperative length of stay (median 7 versus 5 d, P<0.001) and were more likely to undergo intra-abdominal abscess drainage during the index admission (14.4% versus 2.1%, P<0.001), and have a reencounter (17.5% versus 11.4%, P<0.001) within 30 d of discharge. However, in the PSM cohort (n=4428 in each group), outcomes did not differ between treatment groups, although the PICC group did have increased odds for the development of other postoperative complications (odds ratio=3.95, 95% confidence interval: 1.45, 10.71).

Conclusions: After accounting for differences in severity of illness by PSM, patients managed with PICCs had a similar risk for nearly all postoperative complications, including reencounters. Postoperative management of pediatric complicated appendicitis with a PICC is not clearly associated with improved outcomes.