Device Selection
For acutely ill persons requiring infusion of an irritant medication, hemodynamic monitoring (such as central venous pressure), or frequent blood draws for 2 weeks or less, a nontunneled central venous catheter and a peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) are usually appropriate.
For people with acute kidney failure requiring central venous access for kidney replacement therapy for 2 weeks or less, a nontunneled dialysis catheter and a tunneled dialysis catheter are usually appropriate. For therapy duration of more than 2 weeks, a tunneled dialysis catheter is usually appropriate.
For people with cancer diagnoses requiring central venous access for weekly chemotherapy infusion for more than 2 weeks, a chest port and an arm port are usually appropriate.
For people requiring continuous or very frequent intravenous medications (except for total parenteral nutrition, which is nutrition given through a vein if someone can’t eat or drink) for more than 2 weeks, a PICC and a tunneled central venous catheter are usually appropriate.
For people requiring long-term total parenteral nutrition and who have another reason for needing central access, a tunneled central venous catheter (double lumen) and a double-lumen PICC are usually appropriate.
For people with chronic kidney disease requiring central venous catheter infusions for more than 2 weeks, a tunneled central venous catheter (single or double lumen) is usually appropriate.
Site Selection
For people with acute illness requiring a central venous catheter for 2 weeks or less, the right or left internal jugular vein, right or left subclavian vein, and upper extremity vein are usually appropriate.
For people with chronic or end-stage kidney disease requiring a central venous catheter, the right or left internal jugular vein is usually appropriate.
For more information, see the Vascular Access Procedures page.