nsk2135

Hi everybody, hope all is well =] I'm a student working on a medtech project examining central line catheters. While they're not ideal, sometimes a central line needs to be inserted. I want to better understand how ICU central lines are used and manipulated. I have a pretty good understanding of how central lines in say, hemodialysis patients, are used, and I want to compare the differences between the two. Based off your experience, how many times is the average ICU central line (CVC or PICC) accessed a day? I could see how this number can vary, from the condition the patient has to the severity of said condition. From a family friend who's a NP in San Diego, she said it can be anywhere between 6-10 times a days, with patients having a CVC for up to 10 days (in extreme cases) and PICCs for 30 days. Is this something that y'all have seen? Thanks a lot for everybody's valuable input. Your insight is extremely helpful and I hope it'll help me better understand how catheters are used in an ICU setting.