Today I was called to place a PICC line in a patient because of where his peripheral IV was located.I found it in a location that I have never seen before. It was in the right upper quadrant of his abdomen. It seems our ED nurses are finding new locations like this and patients' breasts to put a peripheral IV in. I was totally shocked at this.  Has anyone else seen some strange locations like this?
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
Pam Michael, RN
I can top that! Two weeks ago we got a call from the ER to place a picc on an IVDA whom they could not get. MD did not want to place anything himself.
We had to decline already being overwhelmed with inpatient piccs.
Next day we find this patient in a med/tele room with his IV in.....
drum roll please...... HIS TEMPLE!! It was right next to his eye. The nurse had just given a mag bolus. Not much else had infused through it, thank goodness.
I had a field day writing that one up.
Darilyn
Darilyn Cole, RN, CRNI, VA-BC
PICC Team Mercy General Hospital Sacramento, CA
In response to Pam's message about the patient with the abd. PIV, I would suggest SQ pain control for a patient like this, especially if no other IV med was needed. SQ is taken up as rapidly, in about the same dose as IV. Simple to manage, less risk than IV access.
Leigh Ann