Picc Line Question

[sophtheorn]

I'm a recent new grad and I am kind of confused about picc lines. If you have a double lumen picc line does it matter which side you use for blood draws/infusions or are they the same?

Also, are you supposed to take the cap off to draw blood or do you just attach the vaccutainer (sp?) right to the cap?

Thanks!

[IVRUS, BSN, RN]

It is never a good idea to leave a Central line in, "just in case" but the protocal for flushing it, should be in your agency's policy. Frequency depends on the type of line too.... A valved PICC, like a Groshong, only needs flushing once a week. What kind of PICC is it?

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

It wasn't put in just in case, it was left there after a two-week hospital stay and at that point hospice was decided....so went home with it.

Honestly, I don't know what kind of PICC it is...I'll take a better look next time I go. I simply noted that it was there, and glanced at the opsite tag to see the date (which was the day before I got there).

Guess I'm just hoping the hospice nurse IS flushing that thing....it would be a bee-otch big time to try to get a line in him if (when?) he goes back to the hospital (potentially for EOL scenario).