Study on the relationship between the pre-set catheter length measured by surface and ideal position in PICC

Objective: To investigate the pre-set catheter length measured by surface and ideal position in peripherally inserted central catheter(PICC) for providing a more accurate method in determining the pre-set catheter length in clinic.Methods: One hundred and thirty-two patients treated with PICC were randomly divided into group A,B and C.Group A was treated with right-diameter pre-set catheter(the length for surface length plus 3 cm),group B was treated with left-diameter pre-set catheter(the length for surface length plus 3 cm),and group C was treated with left-diameter pre-set catheter(the length for surface length plus 5 cm).The ideal pre-set catheter position was determined using an X-ray film,and the correlation and linear regression relationship between the left-,right-diameter pre-set catheter length and ideal position in body were analyzed.Results: The pre-set catheter length of PICC in group A and C was significantly associated with the ideal catheter length(P<0.01),and the corresponding regression equation was draw.Conclusions: The pre-set catheter length measured by surface in PICC is significantly related to the ideal position.