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Question: My patient had an a-line and a picc on his right arm. I came on shift this morning to find a bp cuff on the same arm as the picc and a-line checking the bp pressure every 120 minutes. So, I switched the cuff to the left arm and just made a mental note. The same nurse was back and said she heard when you check if the cuff pressure and the a-line pressure correlate, you put the cuff on the same side arm. Also, it's okay to take pressures on a picc as long as you don't do it that often. Now, I had never heard this and if I'm wrong I will admit it, but I just find it hard to believe you can put a cuff on a picc. Does anyone know what the correct way is?

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Specializes in cardiac/critical care/ informatics.

NO bp on the arm of a picc or an aline. The picc line because of the risk of hurting the picc or clotting it off.

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Specializes in CCU, ED.

She definitely heard wrong. It's a big no-no to take a BP on the same side as a PICC.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

You NEVER take the BP on the same side as a PICC. You will clot off the picc that way.

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Specializes in CT ICU, OR, Orthopedic.

never a BP on the arm with the PICC, and I am wondering about her rationale for the cuff and a line on the same arm...if they are correlating, then why even use a cuff? I've never heard of that before.

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Specializes in CCU, med/surg (cardiac/tel).

Never take bp in same arm as a-line and picc. I have in rare occasions taken bp in same arm as picc if it is lower than the picc line, but only in cases in which you have no other place. Like a pt with a shunt in one arm and can't get a good reading from a leg.

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Specializes in CT ICU, OR, Orthopedic.
Never take bp in same arm as a-line and picc. I have in rare occasions taken bp in same arm as picc if it is lower than the picc line, but only in cases in which you have no other place. Like a pt with a shunt in one arm and can't get a good reading from a leg.

Yes, under the picc is ok, but not ideal...I still don't understand the rationale behind putting the cuff on the same side as the a line if they correlate....don't get it? If they are correlating, then why even use a cuff? Just read the a line...

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Specializes in SICU, Peds CVICU.

We recently updated our policies and now we're supposed to check aline/nbp correlation once a shift. Maybe that's why she was checking the nbp? And I think you can check bp on the picc side a)if you have NO other option b) it's urgent/necessary (if you didn't have an a line for example). Also, every two hours is fairly frequently, so her rationale that it's "not that often" is a little ... off.

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