Peripherally inserted central catheter in pediatric oncology: A scoping review

Abstract

Objective: To map the scientific production about the use and maintenance of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) in children and adolescents undergoing oncology treatment. Methods: Scoping review, according to the method adapted and proposed by Levac, Colquhoun and O'Brien. Five stages were performed: identification of the research question; search for relevant studies; selection of studies; extraction of the data; grouping, summarizing and presenting the results. The databases used were PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, LILACS and Embase. Literature review articles or original articles were included, with qualitative or quantitative designs, which focused on peripherally inserted central catheters in children and adolescents, in any stage of the oncology treatment and care context, published in Portuguese, English and Spanish, between 2006 and 2017. Results: Searches in the databases returned 609 unique articles, nine of which constituted the final sample. Five main themes were elaborated related to the use of the peripherally inserted central catheter: indication, insertion technique, catheter maintenance, related complications and outcomes of the use. Based on the results, the recommendations for the use of this device can be summarized, mainly related to: the treatment and type of neoplasm, selected veins, dressing types, main complications and outcomes. Conclusion: The peripherally inserted central catheter is a safe and reliable option for intravenous therapy in the pediatric oncology population. This study contributes to evidence the indication of its use for that population and appoints themes for future empirical studies.