What is tunneled catheter placement?

Also known as: tunneled central venous catheter, tunneled PICC line.

A catheter is a thin tube through which a variety of fluids/medications may be administered or blood drawn. A tunneled central venous catheter is one that is placed in a large central vein most frequently in the neck (internal jugular vein), groin (femoral vein), chest (subclavian vein) or back (trans lumber), while the other end is tunneled under the skin to come out on the side of the chest. It’s used when access to a vein is going to be required for a long period of time.

---

Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM