Background: Although guidelines emphasize proper insertion techniques and tip positioning, catheter-related thrombosis (CRT) remains a common and clinically significant complication of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and midline catheters (MCs). In this context, the use of pharmacological prophylaxis is still debated. This study aims to assess the incidence of CRT in patients receiving anticoagulant therapy (therapeutic or prophylactic) and antiplatelet therapy.
Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital and included adult patients from March 2021 to May 2023. Six potential confounders were analyzed: anticoagulation status (none, prophylaxis, therapeutic), antiplatelet therapy, tip position (PICCs vs. MCs), number of lumens, CRT risk factors, and drug infusion requiring central access. CRT was diagnosed in symptomatic patients using compression ultrasonography. Propensity score weighting and logistic regression were employed to estimate odds ratios (OR) and average treatment effects.
Results: A total of 1431 patients were enrolled. PICCs and therapeutic anticoagulant therapy were highly protective against CRT (OR 0.068 [95% CI 0.013-0.2] and OR 0.007 [95% CI 0.001-0.046], respectively). Prophylactic anticoagulant therapy (OR 0.328 [95% CI 0.200-0.519]) and antiplatelet therapy (OR 0.342 [95% CI 0.182-0.595]) also showed protective effects. At the same time, neither the number of lumens, the presence of risk factors, nor the infusion of irritating drugs was independently associated with CRT.
Conclusions: The use of anticoagulant drugs (both prophylactic and therapeutic), antiplatelet therapy, and PICC use significantly lowered the risk of CRT. The findings support personalized prevention strategies and underscore the need for a well-designed randomized controlled trial to validate these findings.
Reference:La Cava L, Giustivi D, Bartoli A, Meschia A, Cirigliano F, Lanzi T, Tramalloni B, Calloni M, Zappa P, Taino A, Ronzoni G, Foschi A, Giarretta I, Gemma M, Fabiani A, Cogliati C, Gidaro A. Risk Factors for Catheter-Related Thrombosis. J Clin Med. 2026 May 20;15(10):3932. doi: 10.3390/jcm15103932. PMID: 42194892; PMCID: PMC13207154.