IV nursing

I am certified to insert PICCs, have been for approx 18 mos. I work soley for my hospital (who paid for my training!) but have thought about branching out on my own. According to one of the docs I work with, Medicare will pay approx $40 for a physician to insert a CL, but $500 for a nurse to insert a PICC line! ALso of course PICCs have a much lower infection rate, and can be left in for months with proper care.

I was trained by a B-D trainer (that's a brand of products) but felt like the hands-on experience is where I learned most. The nurse who trained us is an independent provider, and I'm sure you could contact her through B-D, as she encouraged us or anyone else to let her help us get started if we were interested. It does take a while to get comfortable and get your success rate up.

I use a portable ultrasound machine in order to visualize veins when none can been seen or felt.

That's about all I know!

Did you know that most companies who make PICCs advise them not to be used to draw blood. Are there any studies that show central lines having higher infection rates when compared with PICCs.

I dont think its an infection issue as much as a line patency issue,seems like you get 2-3 lab draws before the line is either occluded or the valve sticks so you can flush easily but get zero blood return.

tracking thread....

they can be used to draw blood but you have to account for the fact that the line may be heparinized or someone may have just flushed it with NS and the patient's sodium will be high...