PICC line emergency

[LesYou]

Hi there,

My company’s patient education pamphlet for PICC lines states that in an emergency related to the PICC line, patients should lie on their left side with their head below the level of their hips. Could someone explain the rationale for this positioning?

Thank you!

[MunoRN, RN]

I think they're referring to how to deal with a possible potential air embolism in the event the line becomes compromised (no cap + no clamp + valve fails) which would be fairly unlikely, the better option would be to crimp or otherwise close the line to air.  In theory air would have a more difficult time moving from R to L through a PFO or other ASD if the patient is on their left side and the pressure in the SVC would be less likely to be negative relative to atmospheric pressure if the patient's hips are higher than their head.

[LesYou]

Thank you for your reply.