Association between ABO blood group and venous thrombosis related to the peripherally inserted central catheters in cancer patients

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the potential relation between the ABO blood group and the risk of venous thrombosis in cancer patients with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs). Methods: The patients who underwent PICC catheterization in Beijing Cancer Hospital from January 2018 to October 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The general information, disease diagnosis, catheterization situation, and complications were recorded for each patient. Further, the blood group status was identified using the hospital information systems. Logistic and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for symptomatic PICC-related thrombosis. Results: Among the 2315 patients, 131 had symptomatic thrombosis after PICC catheterization. The incidence of symptomatic thrombosis was lower in patients with blood type O when compared with that in patients with blood types other than O. The history of venous thrombosis, tumor category, arm circumference, and insertion attempts are risk factors associated with the PICC-related venous thromboembolism (VTE). After multivariable adjustment, insertion attempts and the non-O blood type were observed to remain associated with thrombosis. Conclusion: The risk of PICC-related thrombosis in patients with non-O blood type is significantly higher than that in patients with blood type O.