Can others tell me if at your institution, your team has a standing order to check tip placements on existing IV devices such as piccs, ports, hickmans  ( if a current xray does not exist ) when device is having a suspected problem (such as no blood return, etc)??Â
Yes, a chest xray is often the first thing that is done. Just remember that a chest xray will only provide information about the tip location. Lack of a blood return is probably related to the presence of a fibrin sheath and the chest film will not reveal this. The only way to see the fluid pathway through the catheter is to inject contrast under fluoroscopy, also known as a cathetergram.
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
Thanks for your input.
Deb