[nightengale0]

Just wondering the rationale for flushing before blood draw on PICC. Our policy is waste 5cc, get specimen, then flush (20cc ns, 3cc heparin), no flush prior. Thanks!

[morte]

Originally Posted by nightengale0

Just wondering the rationale for flushing before blood draw on PICC. Our policy is waste 5cc, get specimen, then flush (20cc ns, 3cc heparin), no flush prior. Thanks!

if you are in a no "heparin" institution, prob makes sense.....the pre flush would be to clear any residual drug from the cath...

[NurseRatched67]

I work in outpatient Oncology.

We change dressings on PICC lines and draw labs using nothing smaller then a 10cc syringe.

We flush with NS 5-6ml, then drawback and waste 5ml-6ml, then switch syringe and draw labs. We put vacutainer device on draw syringe, not on PICC port directly. You want to limit pressure on vital, small lines.

We put new extensions on for our patients (because they go home and flush their own lines daily!), flush with NS and heparin.

The only time we would not draw from a certain lumen of a PICC is if it is being used for TPN. Our patients usually come in with double lumen Hickman lines so we only draw off the lumen not being used for TPN.

Again, that is in an outpatient setting. What is done as an inpatient may be different.