penguingirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28688
posted
Mine is out close to 3/4 inch now. For a good 2 months it was securely in and now I am freaking out that I can see the line. It came out during a dressing change today - the IV nurse was not too familiar with statlocks and in the process it came out more. She said they don't normally use statlocks in hospitals.
Also am I supposed to put the tape that comes with the statlock on the line under the dressing? I would think that would help secure it down for future dressing changes while the statlock is being removed. But also not sure if I would be allergic to it or anything - would not want a rash there under the dressing.
The nurse today didn't clean all of the gunk off the tubing close to the site -it's the adhesive from last week's tegaderm that she couldn't pull off properly. I hope that will not create any infection!?
-------------------- Posts: 1204 | From USA | Registered: Oct 2010
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posted
Ha, mine is out farther than that, so I would not be worried. But maybe you need to hear from more official sources....we have some nurses on this forum.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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sammy
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 13952
posted
As part of your dressing change, your nurse should be measuring and documenting the length of the catheter from where it comes out of your skin to the hub.
Generally, if it slides out more than 2cm (2cm farther than it was before the dressing change) then you will want to notify your doctor.
Depending on the type of treatment that you are on and how much the line came out, they may want to order a chest x-ray to confirm that your PICC is still properly placed.
Stat-locks are commonly used in all hospitals. I'm surprised your nurse was not aware of this. Some people like to secure the PICC extensions with a piece of tape to add an extra measure of security to prevent movement as they try to remove the Stat-lock. Also, if you stat-lock tends to stick, try using an alcohol pad or swab to loosen the adhesive. That will help it lift right off.
Next time watch as the nurse cleans your site, speak up if you need to and make sure that it is scrubbed well. Sometimes adhesive can be hard to clean off. A little left behind probably won't hurt you every now and then. It is of course best to clean it all off if possible.
Take care penguingirl. Keep watching your nurses and make sure that they give you good care.
Posts: 5237 | From here | Registered: Nov 2007
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