Peripherally Inserted Central Venous Catheter in Upper Extremities Could be a Risk for Deep Vein Thrombosis in Lower Extremities and D-Dimer in Neurology Department

Abstract Background: With the in-depth study of Peripherally Inserted Central venous Catheter (PICC) related venous thrombosis, it is found that the incidence of lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (LEDVT) in patients with PICC in upper extremities is higher than that in patients without PICC . However, there is no explanation for this clinical phenomenon that PICC related venous thrombosis seems to have exceeded the range of PICC travel . The purpose of this study is to elucidate this association between PICC in upper extremities and LEDVT by observing the changes of D-dimer . Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of adults in Neurology department who underwent Color Doppler ultrasound and D-dimer test between 1 April 2017 to 1 April 2020. We analyzed the related factors of LEDVT and the change of D-dimer value, compared the changes of D-dimer before and after PICC insertion, and evaluated the predictive value of D-dimer in patients with and without PICC. Results: ① It was found that the presence of PICC increased the risk of lower extremity venous thrombosis by 7 times (OR = 7.048 [95% CI: 4.486-11.074]; ②It was found that the presence of PICC promoted the increase of D-dimer value (OR = 5.133 [95% CI: 3.072-8.575]). ③ For patients without LEDVT, the level of D-dimer in patients with PICC was higher than that in patients without PICC (P < 0.05). ④ The level of D-dimer after PICC insertion was significantly higher than that before PICC insertion(P < 0.05). ⑤ In patients with PICC, the AUC value of D-dimer in the diagnosis of LEDVT was 0.657 (95% CI: 0.549-0.765), and the negative predictive value was 82.35%.Conclusion:PICC insertion may increase the level of D-dimer and become an important risk factor of LEDVT; For patients with PICC , D-dimer value is not suitable to rule out LEDVT.