Background: Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) are intravenous devices inserted through a superficial or deep vein of an upper or lower extremity and advanced to the distal third of the superior vena cava or proximal third of the inferior vena cava. They offer the advantages of greater safety for infusion of vesicant/irritant and hyperosmolar solutions and enable administration of antibiotics, prolonged parenteral nutrition (PPN), and chemotherapy agents. They also involve reduced risk of infection compared to other vascular catheters and are more cost-effective than centrally inserted venous catheters (CICVC). Objectives: To present the results of our team' s experience with US-guided and fluoroscopy-positioned PICC placement at the Hospital and Maternidade São Luiz (HMSL) Itaim, Rede D' or, Brazil. Methods: This was a prospective, non-randomized study, conducted from February 2015 to November 2016. The institution' s preestablished protocol was followed when vascular access was requested. Indications, prevalent diseases, type of catheter implanted, technical success, and complications related to the catheters were analyzed and inclusion and exclusion criteria are described. Results: A total of 256 vascular accesses were requested, and 236 PICCs (92.1%) and 20 CICVCs (7.9%) were implanted. The main indications were as follows: prolonged antibiotic therapy (52%), PPN (19.3%), and difficult venous access (16%). Technical successes was achieved in 246 catheter placements (96.1%). The right basilic vein was the most common vein punctured for access, in 192 patients (75%), followed by the right brachial vein, in 28 patients (10.9%). Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided and fluoroscopy-positioned PICC placement had a low incidence of complications, reduced infection rates, and proved safe and effective in cases of difficult vascular access. PICCs can be considered the devices of choice for central vascular access.

Background: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) during pregnancy is a determining factor that contributes to increased maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality. It may occur when there is thrombophilia, due to compression of the inferior vena cava, venous stasis or hormonal changes. Objectives: To assess patients who are pregnant or have just given birth and who have a DVT condition in the lower limbs, to search for possible causes of thrombophilia and to perform a review of the literature. Methods: Pregnant and puerperal patients were assessed by gynecologists and obstetricians when there was suspicion of DVT, from January 2004 through November 2006, during which time there were 24,437 childbirths at Hospital e Maternidade São Luiz; of these, 89% were cesarean, 7.5% were normal births and 3.5% were forceps deliveries. Of the total number of patients referred with a clinical status suggesting DVT, 42 cases were clinically diagnosed as DVT, in pregnant women aged between 21-39 years, confirmed by venous duplex scan. Right before the introduction of anticoagulant therapy, samples were collected to investigate thrombophilia, which were repeated after the treatment. Results: Of the 42 patients with DVT, 32 were primigravid (three twin pregnancies with no thrombophilic changes, two resulting from in vitro fecundation), eight were mothers at second birth and two were at third birth. In four patients, DVT occurred in the first trimester of pregnancy (9.5%), in 11 patients DVT was present in the second trimester (26.2%) and in 27 patients the disease developed in the third trimester of pregnancy (64.3%). Of the 42 patients diagnosed with DVT, 18 (42.8%) occurred in infrapatellar veins. There was a case of pulmonary thromboembolism in a 37-year-old patient, who had been submitted to in vitro fecundation, with twin pregnancy and a