Guide To How To Care For A Picc Line

Posted by diayanabill on November 7th, 2019

A patient with PICC line needs to pay little more attention to take care of the area of insertion. At the initial stages, a healthcare provider can assist you while taking care for your PICC line when you are at home. This may be in an outpatient clinic or home care depending on your choice. Most of the facilities provide patients with a booklet about how to care for your PICC line. This booklet guide them with important information that will help patients care for the PICC line.

Some of things that one should take care of include:

• Apply a warm pack to the PICC line area for 30 minutes, every 2 hours for the first 24 hours.

• Take ibuprofen three times a day with meals for the first 3 days or as directed by your doctor. This will help prevent inflammation and soreness. If you are allergic to ibuprofen your doctor may recommend Tylenol.

• Keep the dressing dry and intact. Shower instead of taking a bath. Use shower shield PICC line cover to avoid any contact with water. Ask the nurse for an arm protector to keep your arm dry when you shower. Do not submerge your PICC line arm in water. Do not swim or go in a hot tub with a PICC line.

• Do not have blood drawn from the PICC line.

• When your blood pressure is taken, use the arm without the PICC line.

• Avoid activities with a lot of arm movement including heavy lifting over 5 to 10 pounds.

How to clean the PICC line site and change the dressing?

You may go to an outpatient clinic or have a home healthcare nurse come to your home to change the dressing. The PICC line dressing is changed once a week and as needed. When the dressing is changed the stabilization device and the clear covering to secure the PICC line and the end cap where the medicine is placed will also be changed once a week and as needed.

Potential risks involved

If any of these symptoms appear, seek medical help immediately.

• Swelling, redness, red streaking, hot or hard area in PICC line arm

• Pain in PICC line arm

• Fever or chills

• Swelling of the hand, arm and/ or neck on the same side as the PICC line.

• Leaking of fluid when you flush the catheter

Author’s bio: The author is a blogger and the article is about PICC line care.