central lines

Does your hospital or facility require you to take a course on central lines before you have a patient with them? What kind of central line?

So on my shift today i had a patient with a central line. Ive never had to nurse a patient with one before. Just wandering about what i need/ should no about them?

Be sure to keep everything clean, central lines can lead to fatal infections. Also, remember to clamp the line if you take off the male adaptor, if you forget you'll wind up with a bed full of blood.

Well, first of all i would not just "wing-it". Without an adequate knowledge base of care of this Central line, you put yourself and your patient at risk. Whenever you get a pt in with a treatment, or therapy, or in this case, and IV catheter that you are unfamilar with, ask for your Nursing supervisor to come and inservice you prior to your acceptance of this pt as yours.

So, your post was written yesterday... What have you found out?

There are Four types of Central Lines: PICC's, Non-tunnelled. Tunnelled, and Ports.

What does your patient have?

Central lines are very complex. You have to worry about infections, accessing, which lines you can take blood from, which lines you can put certain medications in, keeping the lines patent (were they in use or heparin locked?), what to do and what it means if you are pushing a medication and your patient suddenly goes into rigors (they shock easily from infection as the line leads straight to the heart)... it's pretty complex.