Upper extremity deep vein thrombosis in hospitalized central venous catheter carriers and non-carriers: A retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: Prognostic differences between central venous catheters (CVC) carriers and non-carriers, who have upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (UEDVT), have been described; however, evidence in hospitalized patients is limited.

Materials and methods: This retrospective cohort study included hospitalized patients from March 2012 to March 2023 with UEDVT, classified into CVC-associated and non-CVC-associated UEDVT groups. Rates of thrombotic recurrence, hemorrhage, post-thrombotic syndrome, and death from pulmonary embolism were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models.

Results: A total of 135 patients were included (76 with CVC and 59 without CVC), with a mean age of 67±15 years and 44% female. No significant differences were observed in the incidence of the combined endpoint between CVC non-carriers and carriers (5.45 vs 6.74 per 1000 patient-months respectively; HR: 1.26; 95% CI: 0.51-3.06). After multivariable adjustment, no significant differences in risk were detected (HR: 1.09; 95% CI: 0.44-2.72).

Conclusions: There are no significant prognostic differences between patients with and without CVC hospitalized for UEDVT.