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PICC Care Instructions (Source: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and
Women’s Hospital Central Line Education Team)
Showering and Bathing
Keep your PICC dry! You may take baths or showers, but your PICC
and all of its connections must be completely covered to be sure that the
PICC and its dressing remain dry.
Keeping everything dry will help prevent it from getting infected or from
accidentally coming out.
• Do NOT get your catheter or dressing wet.
• Do NOT allow your PICC to go under water in a pool or tub.
• To protect your PICC from getting wet in the shower or bath,
cover it completely with a plastic wrap or protective cover.
If your dressing gets wet, the dressing needs to be changed right away.
Call your health care or Home Care Nurse to arrange to have your PICC dressing changed.
Danger Signs
Call your health care or Home Care Nurse RIGHT AWAY if:
• Your dressing gets wet, soiled, or becomes loose.
• Your catheter appears to be coming out.
• Your catheter becomes kinked or hard to flush.
Call your doctor RIGHT AWAY for any signs of infection:
• You have redness or warmth around your catheter.
• You have chills or a fever of 100.5º F or higher.
• You have bleeding, swelling, or drainage around your catheter.
• Your arm becomes swollen.
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