Midline and Extended Dwell Catheters for IV Antibiotics

Midline catheters may be associated with longer uncomplicated indwelling time and a lower overall risk of catheter-related complications than extended dwell catheters. The rates of catheter-related complications were low across different peripheral catheter types. Midline catheters may have a lower proportion of catheter-related bloodstream infections, drug leakage from the exit site, and complete catheter occlusion, but a higher proportion of catheter-related thrombosis events compared with extended dwell catheters. The findings were derived from 1 retrospective cohort study with imbalanced baseline characteristics of patients, and the limitations of the study may have favoured midline catheters; future studies are needed to confirm our findings. We did not find any systematic reviews, health technology assessments, randomized controlled trials, or evidence-based guidelines that met our inclusion criteria.