PICC is a short name for “Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter”. The catheter is inserted into a large vein in your arm, usually the basilic or cephalic vein by a doctor and threaded into a large vein that leads to your heart. The PICC line can be left in for long periods of time (weeks or months) giving it an advantage over an I.V. which would need to be changed every few days because of risk of infection.
The PICC can be used to give special fluids, medications, blood products, or to take blood samples for testing. Your doctor will explain the reasons why you have this type of catheter.
The procedure to insert a PICC line is relatively painless and is usually performed by a specially trained radiologist. After cleansing and numbing an area in the mid-arm (the area in front of the elbow), a needle is placed into one of the arm veins to reach one of the larger veins in the chest where the tip will sit. Once the line is positioned appropriately, it is secured and covered with a sterile dressing. An x-ray will be taken to verify the correct position of the PICC.
The PICC can be cared for at home. Your physician will select a home infusion company that will care for your PICC line at home. The insertion site should be covered and kept dry. To prevent the line from becoming blocked, specified sterile fluid is flushed through the line usually once a week. The dressing should be changed weekly to prevent infection. Family members or friends can be taught these care instructions by the home infusion company.
Once the PICC line is no longer needed, it can be gently pulled out by a member of the health care team causing minimal or no pain.
Call your doctor or home care infusion company if any of the following occur: fever, pain, bleeding, redness, swelling and/or warmth at entry site, tear or break in line, fluid leaking around insertion site.
