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Randomized controlled trial of heparin for prevention of blockage of peripherally inserted central catheters in neonates
Author(s) -
Kamala F,
Boo NY,
Cheah FC,
Birinder K
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2002.tb02833.x
Subject(s) - medicine , randomized controlled trial , heparin , peripherally inserted central catheter , anesthesia , intensive care medicine , surgery , catheter
Aim : To determine whether the addition of heparin to total parenteral nutrition (TPN) fluid would prevent blockage of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) in neonates. Methods : This was a randomized, double‐blind, controlled study of 66 eligible neonates with PICCs inserted for the administration of TPN. Infants were randomized to receive TPN containing either 1 IU ml ‐1 of heparin ( n = 35) or no heparin ( n = 31). Results : There was no significant difference in the incidence of blocked catheters between the two groups of infants (heparin: 14.3%; no‐heparin: 22.6%, p = 0.4). Although a higher percentage (62.9%) of infants in the heparin group received a complete course of TPN successfully via PICC than those in the no‐heparin group (48.4%), the difference was not statistically significant ( p = 0.3). There were no significant differences in the incidence of catheter‐related sepsis, hypertriglyceridaemia, hyperbilirubinaemia, coagulopathy or intraventricular haemorrhage between the two groups. Conclusion : Addition of heparin to TPN fluid was not associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of blocked PICCs. However, the sample size of this study was too small to exclude even rather marked differences between the groups.