Table 1 . Infants’ characteristics and status of indwelling catheters in NICUs and GCUs.
| Total n=288 |
NICU n=249 |
GCU n=39 |
NICU vs GCU p value |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body weight (g) | 2,441 (334–9,590) | 2,379 (334–9,590) | 2,860 (1,030–3,894) | <.01 |
| Gestational age (weeks) | 36 (22–42) | 36 (22–42) | 38 (24–41) | <.02 |
| Postnatal age (days) | 4 (0–1,303) | 4 (0–1,303) | 6 (0–445) | .16 |
| Catheter type | ||||
| PIVC | 137 (47.6) | 120 (48.2) | 17 (43.6) | .59 |
| PICC | 169 (58.7) | 150 (60.2) | 19 (48.7) | .17 |
| 8-cm PICC | 9 (3.1) | 8 (3.2) | 1 (2.6) | 1.00 |
| CVC | 9 (3.1) | 7 (2.8) | 2 (5.1) | .35 |
| UVC | 5 (1.7) | 5 (2.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1.00 |
| UAC | 5 (1.7) | 5 (2.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1.00 |
| PAC | 22 (7.6) | 22 (8.8) | 0 (0.0) | .05 |
| Number of catheter types | <.01 | |||
| One | 236 (81.9) | 197 (79.1) | 39 (100.0) | |
| Two | 37 (12.8) | 37 (14.9) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Three | 14 (4.9) | 14 (5.6) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Four | 1 (0.3) | 1 (0.4) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Gauge of the indwelling needle | ||||
| 24G | 183 (63.5) | 158 (63.5) | 25 (64.1) | |
| 26G | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Others | 124 (43.1) | 110 (44.2) | 14 (35.9) | |
Data are presented as the median (minimum–maximum) or as n (%).
The p values for body weight, gestational age, and postnatal age were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test.
The p values for catheter type (8-cm PICC, CVC, UVC, UAC, and PAC) and the number of catheters were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test, and other categorical variables were analyzed using the χ2 test.
PIVC: peripheral intravenous catheter; PICC: peripherally inserted central catheter; CVC: central venous catheter; UVC: umbilical venous catheter; UAC: umbilical arterial catheter; PAC: peripheral arterial catheter; G: gauge.
Whether the 8-cm PICC was used as a long PIVC or a PICC is unclear.