Funny you should ask. My 18 y/o had a PICC line for 2 months. The first 7 weeks it was in her left arm. The rash started out small, and eventually grew to cover the entire area of the dressing. That line was then taken out, and they put one in her right arm. I don't think that one lasted a full week. Her skin just couldn't take it. We thought they were hives at first, but hives don't fill with fluid & get crusty. Contact dermatitis does. They tried every type of adhesive available for sensitive skin. Nothing worked. She was considering a port-a-cath because you don't have to keep it accessed. (If you DO keep it accessed, you need to keep it covered.)However, a surgeon told us if she has to stick it once or twice a day, it wouldn't last, and she'd risk having little bits of the rubber going into the line. So that's not an option either. If you figure something out, please let us know. Good luck. |
