Peripherally inserted central catheters are associated with lower risk of bloodstream infection compared with central venous catheters in paediatric intensive care patients: a propensity-adjusted analysis.

PURPOSE: Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) is an important cause of complications in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) could be an alternative to central venous catheters (CVCs) and the effect of PICCs compared with CVCs on CLABSI prevention is unknown in PICUs. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate whether PICCs were associated with a protective effect for CLABSI when compared to CVCs in critically ill children. METHODS: We have carried out a retrospective multicentre study in four PICUs in São Paulo, Brazil. We included patients aged 0-14 years, who needed a CVC or PICC during a PICU stay from January 2013 to December 2015. Our primary endpoint was CLABSI up to 30 days after catheter placement. We defined CLABSI based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Networks (NHSN) 2015 surveillance definitions. To account for potential confounders, we used propensity scores with inverse probability weighting. RESULTS: A total of 1660 devices (922 PICCs and 738 CVCs) in 1255 children were included. The overall CLABSI incidence was 2.28 (95% CI 1.70-3.07)/1000 catheter-days. After covariate adjustment using propensity scores, CVCs were associated with higher risk of CLABSI (adjHR 2.20, 95% CI 1.05-4.61; p = 0.037) compared with PICCs. In a sensitivity analysis, CVCs remained associated with higher risk of CLABSI (adjHR 2.18, 95% CI 1.02-4.64; p = 0.044) after adding place of insertion and use of parenteral nutrition to the model as a time-dependent variable. CONCLUSIONS: PICC should be an alternative to CVC in the paediatric intensive care setting for CLABSI prevention.

Normatização da abertura de ligas acadêmicas: a experiência da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu / Regulation of student leagues: the experience at the Botucatu School of Medicine

A criação de ligas acadêmicas por estudantes de Medicina tem ocorrido em todo o Brasil. Aceitas como atividades extracurriculares de extensão universitária, as ligas trazem tanto benefícios como riscos à formação médica. Assim, a abertura de ligas deveria ser racionalizada, visando ao aperfeiçoamento de suas atividades. Neste relato, descrevemos a normatização adotada na Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu - Universidade Estadual Paulista (FMB/Unesp), contextualizando- a numa discussão sobre a importância das ligas como atividades extracurriculares e os prejuízos que podem trazer à formação médica. A normatização contém orientações processuais e um conjunto de critérios para avaliação dos projetos de abertura de novas ligas. Os critérios avaliam a relevância da proposta, os objetivos, o modelo de gestão planejado e a ideologia da formação. A utilização destas diretrizes tem capacitado o desenvolvimento de projetos de novas ligas e desencadeado na escola o aprofundamento de reflexões sobre a função de ligas acadêmicas.

Student leagues have been created by medical students all across Brazil. Accepted as extracur ricular university extension activities, the leagues have produced both benefits and risks for medical training. Student leagues thus need to be rationalized, with the aim of improving their activities. This report describes the regulation adopted by the Botucatu School of Medicine (Universidade Estadual Paulista, FMB/UNESP), framed within a discussion of the importance of such leagues as extracurricular activities and the potential harm they can cause to medical training. The regulation contains procedural guidelines and a set of criteria for the evaluation of proposals to create new leagues. The criteria assess the proposal's relevance, objectives, planned management model, and training ideology. The use of these guidelines has allowed the development of projects for new leagues and triggered more in-depth reflection in the school on the role of student leagues.