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©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Crit Care Med. Nov 4, 2014; 3(4): 80-94
Published online Nov 4, 2014. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v3.i4.80
Published online Nov 4, 2014. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v3.i4.80
Focus on peripherally inserted central catheters in critically ill patients
Paolo Cotogni, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Department of Medicine, S. Giovanni Battista Hospital, University of Turin, 10123 Turin, Italy
Mauro Pittiruti, Department of Surgery, Catholic University Hospital, 00168 Rome, Italy
Author contributions: Cotogni P and Pittiruti M developed the research question and review design; Cotogni P drafted and finalized the manuscript; all authors revised and approved the final version.
Correspondence to: Paolo Cotogni, MD, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Department of Medicine, S. Giovanni Battista Hospital, University of Turin, Via Giovanni Giolitti 9, 10123 Turin, Italy. paolo.cotogni@unito.it
Telephone: +39-011-5171634 Fax: +39-011-6334324
Received: June 16, 2014
Revised: September 25, 2014
Accepted: October 14, 2014
Published online: November 4, 2014
Revised: September 25, 2014
Accepted: October 14, 2014
Published online: November 4, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: The placement and care of central venous access devices (CVADs) are key elements of management for either adult or pediatric critically ill patients. Healthcare professionals are commonly worried about complications related to the employ of a CVAD due to increasing costs, hospitalization, and mortality. The rate of catheter-related complications is often related to an out-of-date decision-making of healthcare professionals who manage the CVAD. This review may be useful for guiding healthcare professionals to choose the right device, placement technique, and care of CVADs with the aim of reducing the possibility of complications in critically ill patients.