How to flush a PICC line

[Madame Poppy Pomfrey]

Hi everyone I'm a recent graduate on Med Surg unit for 3 months and I've had too many different preceptors, so consistency has been lacking especially with the veteren nurses. In regards to flushing PICC lines, the situation doesn't always present itself, but on dayshift orienting two different veteren nurses showed me the turbulent flushing method of stop and push. On the evening shift they finally gave me a consistent preceptor, (but I feel he is too young to precept and has only been an RN for 1yr.) ,he told me that method was wrong, and that I should just push the flush straight through to avoid sending out a clot. Don't get me wrong this preceptor clearly has more experience than myself but I don't feel too certain that he knows everything. I had understood the turbulent flushing help to clear medication and fibren from the PICC line. I mean technically, if the patient is going to through a clot, I think they would have the clot dislodged from either way of flushing. I'm just getting very frustrated because this person tends to nitpick the way I do everything! Your advice is most welcome thanks .

[Madame Poppy Pomfrey]

Thank You Daytonite:), the websites look like they will be very helpful for me to get familar with PICC lines. I looked in my hospital policy today but it really only discussed about SASH. I didn't have opportunity to check with our IV team or our pharmacy because it is such a busy unit. However these web articles I will be able to utilize at home when I really have time to review. My school textbooks really did not have anything more than a picture with the name under what it was or other textbooks didn't mention it at all. Thanks again!