So embarassed to even admit this here, but I am a relatively new nurse. Yesterday on our floor I was very busy, very overwhelmed and drew a blood culture out of a pt's dialysis line. She had just had a perma-cath placed the day before, and it was obviously getting infected (was red and tender to the touch). Doc ordered the culture out of the line and even asked me if it was ok to do and I apparently said yes, although I was so crazy that day I don't even remember saying it.
So, I drew the sample and then our charge caught it somehow. We heparanized the line and that was it.
But can someone fill me in, or point me to a good reference as to why we can't draw a blood culture or anything else from the dialysis line?
