Central Venous Access Devices - The Royal Marsden

Central venous access devicesContentsIntroduction 1What is a central venous access device (CVAD)? 1What are the advantages of having a central venousaccess device? 1What are the disadvantages of having a central venousaccess device? 2What types of CVADs are available? 2How will I know what device to choose? 2Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) 4What is a PICC? 4What are the advantages of a PICC? 4What are the disadvantages of a PICC? 5How is the catheter inserted? 5How do I care for the PICC? 6How does the PICC dressing get changed? 6How do I flush the catheter? 8What equipment will I be given? 9How is the catheter removed? 9Skin-tunnelled catheters 10What is a skin tunnelled catheter? 10What are the advantages of a skin-tunnelled catheter? 10What are the disadvantages of a skin-tunnelled catheter? 11How is the catheter inserted? 11How do I care for the skin-tunnelled catheter exit site? 12How do I flush the catheter? 12What equipment will I be given? 13How is the catheter removed? 13