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Clinical Research in Vascular Access Devices

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Vascular Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2026) | Viewed by 433

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano and Internal Medicine, Luigi Sacco Hospital, ASST-FBF-Sacco, Milan, Italy
Interests: vascular access devices (VADs); peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC); catheter-related thrombosis (CRT); catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI); central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI); angioedema

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vascular access devices (VADs) are among the most frequently used medical instruments. A significant proportion of hospitalized patients are administered venous catheters, and their utilization has similarly expanded among outpatient populations for the administration of chemotherapy, antibiotics, nutritional support, and other intravenous medications. VADs encompass peripheral vascular access devices (PVADs) and central venous access devices (CVADs). Their length characterizes the former: short peripheral catheters (SPCs) measure less than 6 cm, long peripheral catheters (LPCs) range from 6 to 15 cm, and midline catheters (MCs) measure between 15 and 25 cm. CVADs are further categorized into peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs), femorally inserted central catheters (FICCs), centrally inserted central catheters (CICCs), and totally implantable venous access devices (TIVADs).

Therefore, the use of VADs is not risk-free. Complications with VAD use can occur even when using the most appropriate device, insertion technique, and care. The most important are as follows:

  • Intraprocedural complication: arterial puncture, pneumothorax, and primary malposition of CVAD;
  • VAD infection: catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI), catheter-associated bloodstream infection (CABSI), or central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI);
  • Catheter-related thrombosis (CRT) and fibroblastic sleeve;
  • Tissue injuries (infiltration and extravasation);
  • Mechanical complications, including accidental removal, occlusion, rupture of the catheter, or secondary malposition;
  • Medical adhesive-related skin injury (MARSI);
  • Catheter-associated skin impairment (CASI).

This Special Issue focuses on collecting works that address the topic from aspects, including visualization techniques, insertion techniques, nursing care, and more, to improve patient care standards and reduce all VAD-related complications.

Dr. Antonio Gidaro
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • short peripheral catheters
  • long peripheral catheters
  • midline
  • peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs)
  • femoral-inserted central catheters (FICCs)
  • centrally inserted central catheters (CICCs)
  • totally implantable venous access devices (TIVAD)
  • catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI)
  • catheter-associated bloodstream infection (CABSI)
  • central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI)
  • catheter-related thrombosis (CRT)
  • fibroblastic sleeve
  • infiltration
  • extravasation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1003 KB  
Article
Risk Factors for Catheter-Related Thrombosis
by Leyla La Cava, Davide Giustivi, Arianna Bartoli, Alessia Meschia, Federica Cirigliano, Teresa Lanzi, Beatrice Tramalloni, Maria Calloni, Paolo Zappa, Alba Taino, Giacomo Ronzoni, Antonella Foschi, Igor Giarretta, Marco Gemma, Adam Fabiani, Chiara Cogliati and Antonio Gidaro
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(10), 3932; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15103932 - 20 May 2026
Abstract
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 [...] Read more.
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. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Research in Vascular Access Devices)
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