What is a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) Line Placement?

A PICC line is placed to provide repeated access to your veins in order to give medications, fluids or blood products. These types of lines are typically used for patients undergoing treatment for cancer or other serious illnesses for which access to a patient’s veins is needed for several weeks or for as long as six months. Under the guidance of X-ray imaging, a doctor feeds a long thin tube – called a catheter – from a vein in the arm into the large vein in the heart (the superior vena cava) to place the PICC line. An external site remains to provide access during the patient’s ongoing treatment.