Infection Prevention & Complication Management Flashcards
7 cards from real PICC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Infection Prevention & Complication Management flashcards as text
A patient with a PICC develops erythema, warmth, and tenderness along the catheter tract extending 2 cm from the insertion site. Which complication does this presentation most likely indicate?
Answer: Phlebitis
Erythema, warmth, and tenderness along the catheter tract are classic signs of phlebitis, which can be mechanical, chemical, or infectious in origin.
When using the VIP (Visual Infusion Phlebitis) scale to assess a PICC site, a score of 2 indicates which finding?
Answer: One of the following: pain, erythema, or swelling
A VIP score of 2 indicates one early sign of phlebitis (pain, erythema, or swelling) and warrants increased monitoring.
A PICC nurse is preparing to change a dressing over a newly inserted PICC. Which agent is the preferred antiseptic for skin antisepsis per INS standards?
Answer: Chlorhexidine gluconate ≥0.5% in alcohol
Chlorhexidine gluconate ≥0.5% in alcohol is the preferred antiseptic for central line dressing changes per INS and CDC guidelines due to its superior residual activity.
Which finding during routine PICC assessment requires immediate line removal and culture of the catheter tip?
Answer: Purulent drainage at the insertion site with fever and hemodynamic instability
Purulent drainage with systemic signs of sepsis (fever, hemodynamic instability) is a definitive indication for PICC removal and catheter tip culture.
A patient's PICC lumen is occluded and does not flush. Which intervention is most appropriate as the FIRST step?
Answer: Attempt to aspirate, then reposition the patient and assess catheter tip position
The first step for occlusion is to assess for position-related causes by repositioning the patient and checking for kinked tubing before instilling thrombolytics.
Ethanol lock therapy is used in PICC management primarily to address which complication?
Answer: Recurrent catheter-associated bloodstream infections in high-risk patients
Ethanol lock therapy is an antimicrobial strategy used to prevent recurrent CRBSIs in high-risk patients, particularly those requiring long-term PICC access.
A PICC-dependent patient receiving TPN is noted to have glucose in the catheter lumen during a blood draw. Which complication should the nurse suspect?
Answer: Drug precipitation occlusion
Glucose appearing in aspirated blood from a catheter lumen used for TPN suggests drug/nutrient precipitation causing partial occlusion within the lumen.