I see an ongoing problem with occlusion of power piccs...requires repeated nursing visits/ atime  and $ for Cath flow .                I urge you folks who place the lines, please use a different line when the patient is to be serviced out of the acute center ...  and do not have ongoing dye studies...  I see dual lumen power piccs for a week of 1xdaily antibiotics ... ??? cant figure that one out.... Please be free to offer your thoughts on this... so I can perhaps understand..
 Any update from manufacturers re power valved catheters coming to the market???
Many thanks
Ann Zonderman, BSN, JD, CRNI, LHRM
Now at Coram Specialty Infusion
Hayward, CA 94545 / [email protected]
Ann Zonderman, BSN, JD, CRNI, LHRM
Ann Zonderman, BSN, JD, CRNI
Double and triple lumen Power and non-Power PICCs are ideal for inpatients requiring multiple infusions/meds/CATs. And sometimes they may even need PICCs on both arms! I agree that they are cumbersome for the home patient, but I can't see where power PICCs have any increase in clotting. BOTH/ALL lumens must be flushed regularly - based on what your protocol is - not just the lumen being used. Are the patients taught positive pressure flushing or using a injection cap with that feature?
To my mind, I run the risk of losing the line I have if I attempt to exchange a multilumen PICC for a single lumen one. When you see a patient who needs only an antibiotic, that may be what they go home on, but doesn't reflect what they received as an inpatient. I think most of us try to place the line that best serves the patient at the time.
Wendy Erickson RN
Eau Claire WI
Something must be wrong in the way those catheters are cared for. We have been placing only Power PICCs since July 2005 for both In patiens and Out patients. Our occlusion rate is very low, especially for the out patients but let me tell you it took a lot of education, and I mean a lot, including the CT scan techs, all the staff that is invoved in taking care of the catheters, the hoe health services, the Infusion centers, etc and it really paid off.
For in-patients we need to use Cathflo about once every two months and for out patient, the last time we cathflo somene was March 2007.
It is all about knowing how to care for the catheters.
Cheryl Kelley RN BSN, VA-BC
Bard has the SOLO Power PICC on the market now. It is valved and saline only.
Gwen Irwin
Austin, Texas
Cheryl, since we are not supposed to endorse a particular product on this site, let me just say we use a Positive Pressure Fluid Displacement cap, easy to swab, and if the application is correct (the nurse must "prime" the cap pointing upward w/ NS prior to applying it to the catheter, and after she flushes the catheter, she should NOT clamp the catheter) I found its mechanism very effective. If every nurse does the right thing, there will be very little, to NO occlusions. But it took quite a bit of education.
You can email me: [email protected]