Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICCs) at the Bedside by X-ray Technologists: A Review of Our Experience

Abstract

Introduction: Peripherally inserted central catheters, also known as PICC lines, are very common procedures for patients in the hospital who need to have long-term intravenous access, for various reasons such as antibiotics or total parenteral nutrition. At our institution, there is currently only one interventional radiology (IR) suite in our department to accommodate all IR procedures. Therefore, the bedside PICC program was introduced to help alleviate the workload in the IR suite and to improve overall patient care. Under the supervision of the hospital's interventional radiologists, trained x-ray technologists (medical radiation technologists [MRTs]) are inserting PICCs at the bedside. The purpose of this article is to describe the creation of a bedside PICC program by x-ray technologists in a hospital setting and to analyze the PICC insertions performed by MRTs over a six-year period.

A modified method for measuring the length of peripherally inserted central catheters to reduce the risk of malposition during catheter insertion

“… 26 Using a Sherlock 3CG Diamond Tip Confirmation System and an intracavity ECG guidance system in combination is an effective approach to detecting the stylet of a PICC catheter and confirming the final position of the PICC tip. 27 However, not every hospital has access to these systems. The modified measurement method proposed herein can help hospitals without effective devices for examining the position of the tip of a PICC during the placement procedure to minimize the rate of long PICC placement.…”

Experience of Radiology Technologists Performing Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICC)

“…Training healthcare professionals to perform PICC insertions increase the procedure availability and reduces costs. 2 3 7 One technologist and one nurse are required to perform the procedure. Interventional technologist's experience and skills in other interventional procedures are advantageous; this shortens the training time and learning curve.…”

“…Advantages of PICC lines include lower infection rate, use for parenteral nutrition, antibiotic, chemotherapy, and reduction in the number of venous punctures needed during treatment. 1 2 PICC insertion is performed by interventional radiologists, radiologist assistants, nurses, or radiology technologists. Nurses and radiology technologists can be trained to perform PICC insertions.…”

“…Nurses and radiology technologists can be trained to perform PICC insertions. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 In Saudi Arabia, interventional radiologists and nurses are the primary professions performing PICC insertions. 4 5 8 Interventional radiology technologists in our hospital started training and proctorship program in 2017 to get competency in PICC line insertion.…”

ECG-Based Techniques to Optimize Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters: Rationale for Tip Positioning and Practical Use

“…Interventional radiology services are usually overwhelmed by PICC demands, delaying patient care and lowering discharge rates for outpatient therapies. This is usually linked to the fact that a PICC is regarded as a "last-in-line procedure" with no degree of priority vs. life-saving or complex interventional procedures (45,46).…”