I.v. Therapy

[CHICKTOEAGLE]

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" all god's children need travelling shoes" maya angelou

i'm presently on antibiotic therapy ...ancef 1 gr. q 8 hrs. with a p.i.c.c. line inserted since mon., march 17th. can anyone talk to me concerning the use of this line?i'm also interested in possible side effects post removal and present care of the site. thank you in advance......chick ....as my profile indicates, i've been out of active practice for 10+yrs. and feel like a newbie. please bear with me .even the computer is a major challange..........

[jemb]

I'm surprised that someone at the faciliity where the line was inserted did not instruct you. But I will tell you what we tell our patients.

The line is maintained just like a heplock as far as flushing to keep it open. We use the SASH protocol -- Saline first, then give your Antibiotic, Saline again, then Heparin flush.

You need to keep the dressing/ tegaderm over the site dry and clean. If the dressing becomes loose, it should be replaced. We have our patients come in once a week for dressing changes whether the dressing looks like it needs it ir not.

Call your doctor or nurse if you see drainage at the insertion site, if it becomes reddened and swollen, or if it becomes painful. It is normal for the area (within a couple of mm of the insertion site) to become slightly raised and pink, with the appearance of a new scar forming.

There should be no residial side effects after the line is removed. The insertion site itself is no larger than the site left had you donated blood (about the same size needle used for access ).

I think you'd get more repsonses if your question was moved to the general nursing or IV nursing forum. I don't think student nurses do much with PICC lines yet.

Hope this helps you.