SarahStep

Hello to all! As you may guess, I am here like many others, to pick your brains! As a student nurse near graduation I have come to the point where I need to know which way is correct when it comes to PICC line care. In my current Lewis text, we are directed to flush a PICC line while pushing steadily on the plunger. My rational for this is to not effect/put extra pressure on the heart or cause any strangeness with the valves. When I practiced in my local hospital, I assisted with flushing a PICC line and was instructed to not push straight and steady but to pulsate the flush. Rational here was firstly that was what the hospital policy/procedure required but also that if any clots were forming at the end of the catheter that they would be broken off. It is my understanding that at no time is it a good idea to try and break clots off into the patients circulatory system. Secondary to this concern is that I am going to take an Nclex exam in the next 6 months and I keep finding conflicting information...and I just know that this question will come up for me. So can I find any takers?