What am I looking at?
Visual recognition
Long, thin catheter entering a basilic or brachial vein with an external arm hub and securement.
14-06
Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC)
PICC
Three-panel learning framework
Recognition, context, and distinction
What does it do, and where will I see it?
Use & procedural context
Long, small-caliber catheter placed from an arm vein with its tip at the cavoatrial junction, giving central access for weeks to months from a peripheral site. Typical procedural contexts include extended antibiotics, chemotherapy, and selected home TPN.
What most clearly distinguishes it from similar devices?
Key distinctions
A PICC enters through an upper-extremity peripheral vein but terminates centrally, distinguishing it from a midline catheter whose tip remains in the peripheral venous system.