Our Physical Therapy Department ask us this question.
Should patients with new PICC insertions with wires remaining in them (before the radiological interpretation is complete) be permitted to go to physical therapy? What are your thoughts? What are other institutions doing?
Thanks
Absolutely NOT!! In my practice when we left the wire in place for the xray, we were always extremely careful about limiting and monitoring the patient's activity. This wire is for the purpose of providing rigidity for catheter advancement. Its presence will lead to vein damage and this will cause thrombosis.
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI
www.hadawayassociates.com
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
I totally agree with Lynn. The wire is to help with identification of the tip location and only that. The PICC should not be used and the patient should not do anything until the tip location is identified and the wire is removed.
Gwen Irwin
Austin, Texas