Picc Line Essay

Do you need a PICC line? Does one of your family members or friends have one? Do you know what purpose they serve for? Do you need to learn how to take care of one? In this article, you will learn what a PICC line is, under what conditions you may need one, how to keep it safe, how to live with one day-to-day, and how to care for a PICC line.
What is a PICC Line?
A PICC line stands for Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (Treatments & Procedures, 2015). What this means is that a PICC line is tubing running into a vein that is in your arm. This tubing is called cannula; it is flexible, soft, small in diameter and thin. It may be uncomfortable when first inserted, but once it is in place, it should not be painful. That patient will just have to be careful with it to ensure that the cannula does not come out (Treatments & Procedures, 2015).
Why do you need one?
The patient will be receiving long term medicine through this line. The medicine could be for anything like pain, infection, cancer, or maybe for someone who needs nutrients. Because this line goes directly into the heart, it is distributed through the body quickly letting the medicine or IV fluids go to work immediately in the patient. A PICC line is also for patients that may need a quick blood infusion. For a patient that is always having blood tests done, this PICC line is an advantage because they won’t get poked with a needle but one time when originally inserting the line. Another reason a patient may need this treatment is because they have renal failure and need to receive dialysis. For some of these patients that are sent home from the hospital, a PICC line allows them to have IV medicines and fluids at home with proper training and teaching (Central Venous Catheters-Topic Overview,