The peripheral inserted central catheters (PICC) are mechanisms used for the administration of intravenous therapy; they are inserted by qualified nurses for the procedure. The purpose of this project was to and emphasize the nurse's role in an intensive treatment environment relating the PICC, its insertion, manipulation, removal, and main recommendations for its use. Pointing the importance of theorical and practical knowledge; the nurses must be trained to use the PICC, to guarantee constant improvement of quality of care for the patients in the intensive care unit. This is a review study of literature with samples of articles searched in database from 2005 to 2020. The descriptors used were nursing, central catheter, intensive care unit, and it's expected to promote propagation of this type of knowledge and development of this practice.