The tip of the CVC is located in a large vein near your heart. Tunneled CVCs are typically inserted into an incision in the chest, tunneled through the soft tissue beneath the skin, and then threaded into a large vein in your neck, and advanced closer to the heart. This “tunnel” under the skin helps to hold the catheter in place and prevent infection. There are a number of benefits with tunneled catheters, but there are also a number of important restrictions and precautions to be aware of, such as care of the site in the 48 hours after placement.
Also, from a patient’s perspective, the particular manufacturer and/or name of the catheter system being used can be important—the medical team may even refer to the device by its “hospital name,” so patients may benefit by becoming familiar with these terms, as appropriate, even if the reference is to a particular manufacturer.
