What is a ‘Central Line’?
A central line is a catheter (tube) that is passed through a vein (usually below the neck) and into either the main vein returning blood to the heart or the heart itself.
Central lines allow for concentrated infusions of medicine to be administered with less risk of complication than peripheral intravenous infusions and other methods of medicine delivery.
One risk of central line placement is infection. However, there are established procedures available that, if followed, essentially eliminate central line-related infection. Before you allow a central line to be placed, ask about your hospital’s infection rate. Less than 1 in 1,000 is very good. An infection rate of 1-3 in 1,000 is acceptable. Above 3 in 1,000 is unacceptable. Other things to ask about include:
- Does the hospital use ultrasound imaging to guide placement of the central line? They should. This technology greatly increases accuracy and safety.
- Before starting, did your doctor or nurse wash their hands, put on sterile gloves, and wear a mask? If they didn’t (or if they touched anything else in the room before getting started), insist that they do so (or that they do so again).
- Make sure that the central line is in. Ask for a saline test before the medication is introduced. If the skin around the injection site bulges, then the line is not in correctly.
- Continually ask if the central line needs to stay in. The longer a line is in, the greater the risk of complication. Ask you doctor daily if the risk of keeping the line is outweighed by the benefit.
