What is venous access?
Venous (or vascular) access is a critical component of healthcare, whether you’re in the hospital or receiving treatment in a clinic. A wide variety of venous access devices can be inserted into your blood vessels to treat conditions in your blood, correct problems in your arteries or deliver medicine into your bloodstream.
When are venous access devices used?
You may not be familiar with the words “venous access device” or VAD, but you’ve probably had one if you’ve had a hospital stay. Catheters, IVs, PICC lines and ports are all different types of VADs. Each is used for different purposes. IVs are used in the short-term while PICCs can stay in the veins for up to 6 months. Ports are needed for long-term, infrequent access. And catheters offer versatility in both short-term and long-term situations where more frequent access is needed.
Vascular access is used to administer all kinds of medicine, including chemotherapy drugs, anesthesia and antibiotics. VADs are also necessary for blood transfusions, dialysis and certain types of blood sampling.
Are there any risks with vascular access?
Vascular access provides your care team with an easy, efficient way to deliver treatments. It also saves you from being poked multiple times, making for a simpler and less painful experience.
Any time a vascular access device is used, there’s a risk to your blood vessels, whether it’s damage, bleeding, hemorrhaging, bruising or infection. If you have a catheter or other VAD in long-term, the risks increase — especially for infection. Your healthcare team will closely monitor the vascular access site as well as the VAD for signs of infection, leakage, air, obstruction or dislodgement.
How do you prepare for venous access?
Vascular access is one of the initial steps for many procedures and treatments. You won’t have to do anything to get ready for it specifically. Instead, your doctor will give you instructions that prepare you for your procedure — including the venous access.
Venous access often includes an ultrasound or other imaging, either before or during the procedure. This helps guide your doctor to precisely place the VAD in the vein and direct it to the needed location inside your body, whether it’s an IV in a nearby blood vessel or a catheter moved up along your circulatory system.
What should I expect after vascular access?
It’s normal to experience a small amount of bleeding, bruising and soreness at the site a VAD was inserted. Other results or post-procedure expectations depend on the specifics of your treatment. Your provider will walk you through your recovery. And you may undergo imaging or testing to check your blood, veins or the effectiveness of the treatment delivered via venous access.