Safety and efficacy of the POP technique for restoring patency to occluded PIC catheters

Abstract

Peripheral-inserted central catheters (PICCs) offer a successful alternative to peripheral veni-puncture for long term medication therapy. When catheters become occluded, the nurse must intervene to avoid delayed or missed treatments. Pharmacological interventions are costly and not without risks. The purpose of this exploratory study was to test a mechanical percussive POP technique to restore patency. Thirty PICC catheters were clotted with human blood and incubated for 8 hours in a 35degrees saline bath. Using the percussive POP technique, a 10-mL syringe with 1 mL of saline restored patency in 86% of the occluded catheters. The safety and effectiveness of the POP technique in vitro was established. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Department

Nursing

Publication Date

11-1-2004

Journal Title

Applied Nursing Research

Publisher

W B SAUNDERS CO

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1016/j.apnr.2004.09.007

Document Type

Article

Rights

Copyright © 2004, Elsevier

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