FLOW CHARACTERISTICS OF PERIPHERALLY INSERTED CENTRAL CATHETERS

PURPOSE: Clinical applications of peripherally inserted central cathet ers (PICCs) are limited by the relatively small lumina and long length s of these devices, Quantitative analysis of the flow capabilities of a variety of PICCs was performed to aid in deciding which patients sho uld have a PICC and in selecting the appropriate catheter. MATERIALS A ND METHODS: Sixteen different PICCs from six manufacturers were infuse d at flow rates of 25-270 mL/h. Infusions were performed with distille d water, normal saline, total parenteral nutrition solution, intralipi ds, and blood, Flow versus pressure curves were generated for each PIC C and infusate, Additional catheter data recorded included the working length, outer diameter (OD), and inner diameter (ID) of the PICCs. RE SULTS: Because of the thin wall construction of polyurethane catheters , PICCs made from polyurethane showed much better flow rates than sili cone PICCs of a comparable OD. The measured ODs of the PICCs were 4-6 F, whereas the IDs ranged from 0.012 to 0.032 inch. Because of the sma ll ID of some PICCs, infusing blood or intralipids is not practical. C ONCLUSION: There is significant variability in the flow capabilities o f available PICCs, Many of the PICCs require pressures greater than th ose that can be generated by commercially available infusion pumps, Ma tching PICC characteristics to the desired application will avoid many of the clinical problems currently encountered with PICCs.