WASHINGTON — Complications were significantly more likely among pregnant women when their hyperemesis was managed with a peripherally inserted central catheter line than with either a Dobhoff tube or medication, Dr. Calla M. Holmgren reported in a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Dr. Holmgren and her colleagues at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, compared the three interventions in a prospective cohort study of 70 hyperemetic patients. Two of 24 patients whose mother's hyperemesis was managed with a PICC line developed sepsis and were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, and one fetus died as a direct result of PICC line use. Also, 7 of the 24 patients had thrombosis, 3 had skin infections, and 2 had bacteremia. One patient with bacteremia was admitted to the NICU.
By comparison, 1 of 13 women managed with a Dobhoff tube had tube displacement, and 2 of the 33 women managed with medication had adverse reactions.