A peripherally inserted central catheter (known as a PICC or PIC line) is a temporary, short-term central venous catheter sometimes used when your child is in hospital.
It is a thin flexible, silicone tube inserted into a minor (peripheral) vein in the arm or lower leg, which leads to a central vein leading to the heart.
Your child's oncologist will decide the best time to replace it with a semi-permanent catheter.
You may also be interested in reading the overview page about central venous catheters [1]
Inside the body, the internal catheter runs through a small vein in the chosen limb, usually the arm, and then through a central vein leading to the heart. The external part outside the body is smaller. There is a bung (cap) on the end of the external catheter.
The PIC Line is stitched in place where the external line starts (the exit site). A doctor or nurse will secure it under a dressing. This will help prevent your child from dragging or pulling on it.
A transparent, waterproof, adhesive dressing covers the exit site and the first few inches of the outside catheter.
Dressing changes happen each week or sooner if:
A nurse will usually flush the catheter with sterile saline and heparin solution when they change the dressing - this is to keep the catheter clear of blockages.
There are also weekly changes of the bung on the catheter end. This happens with the dressing changes.
The catheter clamp on the lumen is always closed when the catheter is not in use.
Securing the catheter with a dressing will help prevent your child from dragging or pulling on it.
When nurses need to put something into the catheter, they will do it in one of 2 ways:
A doctor or nurse will remove a PIC line when they replace it with a semi-permanent catheter in the operating theatre, or if the PIC line becomes infected. They can also remove a PIC line on the ward - your child will not need an anaesthetic.
All the pages in the childhood cancer section of this website [2] have been written by health professionals who work in the field of paediatric oncology. They have been reviewed by the members of the National Child Cancer Network (NZ). Medical information is authorised by the clinical leader of the National Child Cancer Network.
This page last reviewed 10 June 2021.
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Links
[1] https://kidshealth.org.nz/central-venous-catheters
[2] https://kidshealth.org.nz/tags/childhood-cancer
[3] https://kidshealth.org.nz/contact?from=http%3A%2F%2Fkidshealth.org.nz%2Fprint%2F451%3Flanguage%3Dzh-hans