Ok some thoughts please. I have never heard of getting a chest xray after PICC removal even if you dont have original PICCmeasurements. We always had a physicians order, checked the integrity of the catheter after removal, documented length. I am not in a hospital setting, but worked in home infusion for years and this was never policy to get an xray. Isnt that an unecessary xray? Also, I cant find any place that says we should do this. INS says nothing about an xray. HELP!
This has never been a recommendation, standard or guideline. But you have to have some means to know that the entire catheter was removed. I would recommend that your policy change to requiring catheter insertion data including length and not accept a patient until the referring facility can provide that information to your agency. That would be least costly and risky for your patients. Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
Unfortunately we go into nursing homes to remove them and often they dont have the measurement and we do attemot to call the facility that placed that is not always successful. My thought was obviously to examine catheter looking for any supect and if there was any concern. Thoughts?