THURSDAY, Aug. 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) — A subcutaneous anchor securement system (SASS) is superior for assisting oncology patients to reach the end of need with a single peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC), according to a study published online Aug. 1 in The Journal of Vascular Access.

Michelle L. Hawes, R.N., from Data to Wisdom Research Consulting in Bloomington, Indiana, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study to examine oncology patients’ ability to finish their therapy with one PICC using implant and explant data for adult oncology patients from 2007 to 2021. All patients received a PICC with an adhesive securement device (ASD) or SASS.

The researchers found that partial or complete dislodgement causing unplanned PICC removal occurred for 12 and 0.4 percent of those with ASD and SASS, respectively. The probability of reaching the end of need with one PICC at two years was 68 percent and more than 95 percent, respectively, regardless of the reason for premature removal, with a significant difference between the two securement devices (P < 0.0001).

“Based on the evidence, the best instrument for securing a catheter throughout a patient’s therapeutic need is the subcutaneous anchoring securement device,” Hawes said in a statement.

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