Talk:Peripherally inserted central catheter

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I have been under the impression that an occlusive dressing should be applied after removal of a PICC, but lately, the literature I have been reading says a gauze dressing and tape are adequate. Does anyone have an opinion on this? --64.255.109.34 18:57, 23 Jun 2005 (UTC)


 * Uhh, I wouldn't ask a community of laypeople... A peripheral vein is not prone to gas embolism, so I would think a gauze is rather adequate. JFW | T@lk  23:23, 23 Jun 2005 (UTC)

PICC dressing
Dressings are used to prevent catheter migration, infection and to absorb exudates. Newly placed PIC lines rarely bleed excessively following application of a dressing, particularly if the exit site has minimal pressure applied from a small piece of rolled gauze under tape.

An occlusive dressing will stabilize the line more effectively as well as providing a clear view of the exit site, which may aid early detection of complications such as phlebitis, bleeding and infection. Gauze and paper tape are often reserved for patients who cannot tolerate the adhesive of occlusive dressings.

These occlusive dressings may be left in position for up to seven days if there are no complications.

>> We use an dressing called PRIMAPORE in RAdiology adn it is a soft gauzelike dressing. It is very adequate. If you are looking to secure PICC, cut the hole out of a soft clean sock and place it over the arm for security. RN RADIOLOGY

Duration of picc line
There are instances of individual PIC lines being used for years without complication, although they are typically placed in patients who require at least a week of intravenous therapy. They may be placed for just a few days in patients receiving certain types of chemotherapy or biotherapy.

The article states that a PICC line is typically kept in for no more than 30 days. Right now I have a picc line that will stay in for 6 weeks, and the NP who placed it told me that it can stay in for up to a year. I'm no medical professional, but can somenoe who knows more confirm or refute what I'm saying, and if appropriate, change the story?

on my reversion of 70.124.195.224's edit that claimed only radiologist insert PICC lines
It has been my experience (and yes, I do mean that I have had PICC lines put into me) that registered nurses insert the PICC line into the patient, and that radiological staff confirm the proper placement of the catheter within the patient's body. Perhaps different hospitals have different policies about this. --Tachikom a 23:21, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

Clinical Cases 02:43, 10 September 2006 (UTC) PICC lines are usually inserted by a PICC team (nurses), in the U.S. at least.


 * This is all very US-centric. In Australia at least, they are often inserted (and the XR checked) by ICU staff. --211.30.196.148 07:19, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

My Daughter is 14 and she has had a PICC line placed about 6 times. At Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento Ca. They put her under general anethesia in Radiology. They do a live xray of her upper body and guide the PICC line in while watching it's path on the monitor. She has done consious sedation but prefers general anesthesia. It is always done as a "Surgical Procedure" by a Physician.

One of the PICC insertion risks is median nerve damage, and a conscious patient will immediately report tingling, numbness, or an electric shock feeling if the insertion needle is near a nerve. If the patient is under general anaesthesia, they are not aware of any of this and severe (possibly irreversible) nerve damage can result. They will of course be aware of this damage when they regain consciousness, and I know one patient who had this exact thing happen to him. General anesthesia is not recommended for PICC insertions for other than pediatric patients. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.132.10.134 (talk) 18:50, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

Concerning the linked pictures
I've been staring at the X-ray picture for five minutes now, and I think I see some things there that don't belong into the body, but I still can't say where exactly that PIC line sits. Could somebody place some markers on the picture for the mere mortal? Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.171.57.206 (talk) 21:08, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

The photo is not actually correct in describing the placement of the PICC. It is in the upper 1/2 of the superior vena cava, whereas correct positioning would be in the lower 1/3 of the superior vena cava near the cavoatrial junction. The tip is about 2 cm superior to optimal positioning. R mosler | ●   08:56, 1 October 2010 (UTC)

I have to second the above comments. It is not clear where (if) the PIC is in the X-ray image. Can someone add an arrowhead? Thanks! 198.151.130.158 (talk) 16:24, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

PICC sizes
What size line should be used for longterm antibiotic use? Ruth Ray CNS 30/03/09 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.17.46.57 (talk) 10:50, 31 March 2009 (UTC)


 * As someone who recently had a PICC line in for six weeks of antibiotics, and also as a rational human being, I must say that a CNS asking this question on a public forum such as Wikipedia absolutely terrifies me. PacificBoy  19:58, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

measurment techniques
I am new to placing PICCs-lookng for looking for suggestions from seasoned nurses on measurment techniques for catheter lenght. We just started a nurse placed PICC at patient bedside. I've worked Cath Lab for 10 years-both card/rad-bedside picc placement is my new endevor. We use bard caths, ultrasound for access and surlock for tip guidence, and portable CTX post for tip placement confirmation. I've been 100% in SVC-but looking for a measurement technique, or assessment skill that I can use to narrow my placement as close to CAJ as possible with better consistency. Any suggestions??? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Amfraley (talk • contribs) 20:35, 28 February 2010 (UTC)

need to explain why
It seems pretty insane that this would need to be advanced to near the heart. The blood goes that direction anyway, so why jam so much tubing into the person? 50.89.71.42 (talk) 08:01, 2 December 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Peripherally inserted central catheter. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20070415220522/http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk:80/Treatments/Chemotherapy/Linesports/PICCline to http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Treatments/Chemotherapy/Linesports/PICCline

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Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 21:43, 12 February 2016 (UTC)

Blood pressure cuff and PICC
Hopkins medicine.org/armstrong_institute ''Precautions: Blood pressure cuffs ... should never be applied over or above PICC..'' AVS (talk) 12:41, 1 August 2018 (UTC)

Rename this page to "Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC)"
I was looking for this page via typing PICC and did not find it, instead finding a disambiguation page that had the full name but not the abbreviation along with it. Is there any reason why we should not rename this page Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) to make it more findable in the disambiguation page? --- FULBERT (talk) 18:36, 25 April 2019 (UTC)
 * As there has been no objection to this, I will move to rename it as indicated above. --- FULBERT (talk) 12:39, 21 July 2019 (UTC)

Caption fluconazole
Why naming such a specific use? AVS (talk) 05:42, 3 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Because it is true and interesting for say patients I think. I just wanted to be specific, to name the exact use of this catheter. This description pretends of course not to be a medical advice nor such (nor publicity for a medicine), just an example of a usage. At first i wrote "antibiotic", but that was in error, fluconazole is not an antibiotic. The catheter and photograph are mine, that's why i happen to know those details. As a patient, i would have appreciated to have this information beforehand, so i supply it here. I prefer exact descriptions on Wikipedia etc. (with appropriate caveats if needed) over vague generalisations. Hansmuller (talk) 11:20, 3 May 2019 (UTC)
 * But the catheter has a great variety of use, e.g. IV medication, blood tests, chemotherapy etc. please see : What are the benefits of using a PICC? AVS (talk) 11:28, 3 May 2019 (UTC)
 * I know, the article says so, of course i don't exclude other applications. It is just that we have this specific image here. I don't know and can only speculate that my medical specialists for, e.g., antibiotics with a different viscosity than fluconazole would have chosen say another diameter etc. of the tube? Another reason to be precise here. Hansmuller (talk) 11:35, 3 May 2019 (UTC)
 * For CT e.g. there are variations of pressure or temperature. Please change back to the more general term, as described in the source above or at least insert 'e.g.'. AVS (talk) 11:43, 3 May 2019 (UTC)
 * I wrote "in this case" as you can see. Please read texts closely beforehand. Cheers, Hansmuller (talk) 12:17, 3 May 2019 (UTC)

Contradiction in introductory paragraph
"A peripherally inserted central catheter ... is a form of intravenous access that can be used for... administration of substances that should not be done peripherally (e.g., antihypotensive agents a.k.a. pressors)."

I've read this several times trying to make sense of it, but I can't. This appears to be a contradiction, but I know so little about medical language I don't want to make the change foolishly. Can an expert confirm?

Liastnir (talk) 05:22, 11 March 2020 (UTC)