Nursing care to the peripherally inserted central venous cateter: scoping review

Introduction: The administration of intravenous therapy is an integral part of the daily clinical practice of nurses, and they need to have up-to-date knowledge of the insertion, maintenance, and removal of the same. The peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) is one of the alternatives to the peripheral venous catheter (CVP), allowing the administration of any type of medication, including irritants and/or vesicants since the location of its tip is in a central vein. Objective: To map the scientific evidence on nursing care inherent to the insertion, maintenance, and removal of PICC in adults Methods: This scoping review was based on the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute and was written according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA – ScR). The research question in this study is: “What is the nursing care inherent to the insertion, maintenance, and removal of peripherally inserted central venous catheters in adults?”. The survey was conducted in January 2023. Results: A total of 13 studies were included in the review, all of which emphasized the importance of nursing care to the PICC, their advantages, complications, and how to avoid them. PICC has a lower incidence of complications than other venous accesses. Conclusion: PICC is a safe vascular access device with numerous advantages, requiring more training for health professionals so that it can be used in different contexts.