Blood Hemoglobin: A Possible Predictor of Central Venous Catheter‐Related Thrombosis in Parenteral Nutrition

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Abstract
The biochemical records of 43 patients given nutritional support via a central venous catheter (CVC) for between 7 and 111 days (mean 28 days) without anticoagulant therapy were reviewed. On completion of the parenteral nutrition, phlebography was performed via the CVC. Patients developing CVC‐related thrombosis (22/43, 51%) were assigned to group I and those without this phlebographic finding (21/ 43, 49%) to group II. The blood (B‐) hemoglobin concentration before catheterization was higher in group I than in group II, the values being 121 ± 16 (mean ± SD) and 106 ± 13 g/liter, respectively. An initial B‐hemoglobin level above 127 g/liter showed a high positive accuracy of prediction for CVC‐related thrombosis and on this basis 89% (8/9) of the patients were correctly assigned to group I, whereas an initial B‐hemoglobin level below 111 g/liter showed a lower accuracy of prediction for a normal phlebographic status and on this basis 71% (12/ 17) of the patients were correctly assigned to group II. The specificity of the test criteria—B—hemoglobin >127 and (Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 9:471–473, 1985)