Certain types of medicines...
nutrition... or fluids...
can be given directly into your bloodstream through a tube, or catheter.
This is called intravenous, or I.V., delivery.
If you're only getting treatments for a few days, you may have an I.V. with a very short tube in your arm...
It can deliver medicine into a vein in your arm.
Long-term I.V. delivery is used when treatments...
such as medicines...
are given on a regular schedule over time...
for more than a few days.
You may get these treatments during a long hospital stay...
at home...
or at an outpatient clinic.
Long-term I.V. delivery uses a catheter called a central venous line, or central line.
A thin, flexible catheter tube is put into a vein in your arm, neck, or chest.
If the tube is put into your arm, it may be called a PICC line.
Usually, a small part of the catheter will stick out of your skin, so it can be accessed easily.
The other end of the catheter tube delivers medicine into a large vein in your chest.
Having a central line...
or PICC line...
makes treatments easier and more convenient for you and your care team.
Medicines that can be given long-term through a central line include: ... Antibiotics, which treat infections caused by bacteria.
... Pain medicines.
For example, you may use a special pump that delivers medicine into your bloodstream when you need pain relief.
... Or other kinds of medicines used to treat a specific health problem.
Another treatment that can be given through a central line is total parenteral nutrition, or TPN... which gives you liquid nutrition.
It may be done if you're unable to eat, drink, or digest foods.
And finally... if you have certain health problems, fluids can be given through a central line to help prevent dehydration.
If you have a central line or PICC line at home, you'll get instructions for how to care for it, such as: ... How to keep the site clean.
... How to change your dressings and keep the area dry.
... And how to make sure the central line doesn't come out.
Things don't usually go wrong with a central line or PICC line.
But watch for any problems, and call your care provider right away if you have: ... Signs of infection, such as increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness in the area... or a fever.
... Swelling in your chest, neck, or arm on the side where the central line is located.
Or a leak in the central line.
Having a central line or PICC line can make it easier and more comfortable to get the treatments you need...
and hopefully... now you know more about what to expect.
