Early picc-line infections in non-neutropenic patients are mainly due to E. coli suggesting that third-generation cephalosporin may be used as a first-line antibiotic therapy.

PURPOSE: To describe the rate of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) -associated bloodstream infections, and the pathogens involved. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed data collected from all adult patients with a PICC insertion in a hematology unit in a tertiary care center between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2020. RESULTS: A total of 370 PICCs were inserted in 275 patients with hematological malignancies: 54 (15 %) confirmed cases of central-line associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) were identified. Enterobacteria were the most frequent bacteria identified, involved in 35 % of CLABSIs. Group 1 enterobacteria bacteremia occurred a much shorter time after insertion (median time to CLABSI 16 days) than group 2 or group 3 enterobacteria (median time to CLABSI 64 days, p-value = 0.049). CONCLUSION: Among Gram-negative bacilli CLABSI among non-neutropenic patients, E. coli identification was the most frequent and occurred earlier after insertion, suggesting that third-generation cephalosporin may be used as a first-line antibiotic therapy for enterobacteria bacteremia among non-neutropenic patients.