Seasonal Impact on Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infection Among Cancer Patients Receiving Port Explantations—A Retrospective Analysis of 795 Patients

Introduction: Totally implantable venous access ports are widely regarded as reliable vascular access devices; however, they are often associated with complications including thrombotic occlusion, catheter tip misplacement, device fracture and infection. Among these, catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) represent a particularly severe complication in oncological patients, especially during cytotoxic chemotherapy. Although seasonal variation in infectious complications has repeatedly been suggested in the literature, its impact on CRBSIs remains insufficiently investigated. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 1773 oncology patients with documented port-related procedures, of whom 795 underwent port explantation between 2010 and 2017 at the Department of Hematology and Oncology of the Kepler University Hospital in Linz, Austria. Port explantations were categorized according to season, with June, July, and August defined as the warm season and the remaining months as the cold season. CRBSI occurrence was analyzed with regard to seasonality and potential clinical risk factors. Results: Among the 795 port explantations, 98 CRBSIs were identified (12.33%). The proportion of CRBSIs was significantly higher during the warm season than during the cold season (18.75% vs. 10.50%; p = 0.006). Logistic regression analysis identified warm season as significantly associated with CRBSI, with an odds ratio of 1.740 (95% CI: 1.058–2.862; p = 0.0291). Discussion: CRBSIs were significantly more frequent among port explantations performed during the warm season. These findings demonstrate a significant association between the warm season and CRBSI occurrence among patients undergoing port explantation and may support increased clinical awareness and surveillance during warmer months.