Suitability of PICC for Transpulmonary Thermodilution Compared to CICC

Are Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICC) Suitable for Cardiac Output Assessment With Trans-pulmonary Thermodilution

Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are increasingly used in intensive care unit (ICU) as an alternative to centrally inserted central catheters (CICCs) for intravenous infusion. In the present study we try to assess their reliability for measuring cardiac index (CI) with trans-pulmonary thermodilution (TPTD) technique.

Inclusion Criteria:

• adult patients (≥18 years) admitted to the ICU
• Patients requiring hemodynamic monitoring using EV1000TM
• Patients having both PICC and CICC in place (these patients had their PICC replaced with a CICC, usually at the time of ICU admission, or vice versa, usually at the end of their ICU stay, and were enrolled immediately after the placement of the new device before the previous one was removed)

Exclusion Criteria:

• body weight <40 kg
• severe aortic regurgitation or intra-cardiac shunt
• treatment with an intra-aortic balloon pump
• contraindication for placement of PICC, CICC or a femoral arterial catheter
• abdominal aneurism
• extracorporeal circulation
• pregnancy
• lack of informed consent