I have seen patients develop problems when a PICC is in place and they are using crutches incorrectly. Most of the time there is no enough education and reinforcement of how to correctly use crutches. For instance, when I was a child I spent an entire year using crutches due to some surgery on my feet. There was a heavy emphasis on not putting pressure on your armpit as this could damage nerves. This was long before we ever thought about using PICCs. I have seen patients with PICCs and crutches that developed vein thrombosis because of this very issue - pressure on the armpit. I am not aware of any written guidelines on this issue. I think that crutch walking should not be a contraindication to PICC placement as long as the patient understands the correct methods and appreciates the risk if they do not use them correctly. This requires education and repeat education and positive reinforcement of the risks. Lynn
Lynn, Thank you so much for this website!! I don't know what we'd do without you!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, for all you do in the PICC community.
I have seen patients develop problems when a PICC is in place and they are using crutches incorrectly. Most of the time there is no enough education and reinforcement of how to correctly use crutches. For instance, when I was a child I spent an entire year using crutches due to some surgery on my feet. There was a heavy emphasis on not putting pressure on your armpit as this could damage nerves. This was long before we ever thought about using PICCs. I have seen patients with PICCs and crutches that developed vein thrombosis because of this very issue - pressure on the armpit. I am not aware of any written guidelines on this issue. I think that crutch walking should not be a contraindication to PICC placement as long as the patient understands the correct methods and appreciates the risk if they do not use them correctly. This requires education and repeat education and positive reinforcement of the risks. Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
126 Main Street, PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
Lynn, Thank you so much for this website!! I don't know what we'd do without you!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, for all you do in the PICC community.