I always get a little concerned when I hear people
speaking about ethanol locks. Ethanol locks take meticulous care, which
can not be guaranteed once the PICC passes out of the vascular access nurses'
control. There are many factors to consider when locking a PICC with
ethanol. First and foremost is the material the PICC is made
of. Can this material tolerate continuous exposure to
ethanol? Considering the variety of polyurethanes that exist out there, it
may be difficult to get a definitive answer for that question--so does that mean
you can only use ethanol locks on silicone PICCs? If that is true, how
easy is it to distinguish between a polyurethane and a silicone PICC?
Next, and probably even more important, how much ethanol should be used to lock
the PICC? This will vary for each PICC, depending upon the PICCs'
lumen size, the overall length of the PICC and any add-on devices that may be
directly attached to the PICC. Again, a difficult number to pin down as
this will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. All in all, ethanol
locks, in my mind, are risky. Paul
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