Heparin Flush vs. Saline Flush (PICC and CVC)

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Hi guys,

This might be a silly question and a bit of a two part question as well:

1) Can someone please describe to me the different sorts of central venous catheters and PICCs?

2) When is it appropriate to flush with just NS vs. flushing with heparin? I know that heparin should not be used for closed-ended (Groshong) devices but this gets confusing for me as I have trouble remembering and identifying each kind.

Thanks in advance!

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Specializes in ER, Med/Surg.

Your employer should have a policy covering this.

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Yes, for answer to question 2. If I'm having trouble with my first question then knowing flushes could be tricky..

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Moved to the Patient Medications forum for more replies.

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Specializes in Acute Care Pediatrics.

There is a certain PICC that likes to be saline locked and requires no heparin.

You should have a policy relating to all of these at your facility.

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Like it was previously mentioned, what you use verses what you flush with depends on your hospital policy. For example, at my hospital we flush power PICCs with saline and neonate and infant PICCs with heparin (due to their small size and increased risk for clotting off). Hope that helps :)

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Specializes in neonatal.

I work in NICU and all we use is saline flushes for locks. Seems to work well. We never lock a Picc line.

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