Plain-language guides for patients and families on IV lines, catheters, infusion therapy, and vascular access care — what to expect, how to stay safe, and when to ask for help.
This section contains guides written for patients, families, and caregivers — not for clinical staff. Our goal is to help you understand what is happening with your IV or catheter, how to stay safe, and how to take an active role in your care.
Browse the guides below or use the search to find a specific topic. If you have questions, always ask your nurse or vascular access team — no question is too small.
A guide for family members and unpaid caregivers supporting an adult on home IV therapy — understanding your role, learning care tasks, managing emergency situations, setting realistic limits, and supporting your own well-being.
A complete patient guide to living with an implanted port — how the port works, what port access feels like, home care between uses, activity and bathing, warning signs, and when to seek help.
A complete patient guide to living with a tunneled central venous catheter — Hickman, Broviac, or Groshong — including exit site care, dressing changes, flushing differences by catheter type, activity, bathing, complications, and long-term management.
A complete patient guide to going home with a PICC line — dressing care, flushing, bathing, activity, recognizing problems, when to call for help, and home infusion therapy.
A complete patient guide to going home with a midline catheter — dressing care, flushing, bathing, activity, recognizing complications, and when to seek help.
How patients receiving IV therapy can reduce their risk of falling — in the hospital and at home — including IV pole navigation, medication side effects, safe movement with a catheter, and when to ask for help.
What patients can and cannot do physically while living with a vascular access device — activity guidelines by device type, returning to exercise after catheter placement, sports and swimming, and why staying active matters.
What patients with vascular access devices need to know when visiting the emergency room — what to tell triage, how to protect your catheter, what ER staff may want to do, how to advocate for your device, and what to bring.
A patient guide to discharge planning when leaving the hospital with a vascular access device — what to confirm before you leave, home infusion setup, supplies, follow-up, and who to call for help.
A complete patient guide to dialysis vascular access — understanding AV fistulas, AV grafts, and tunneled dialysis catheters, how to care for each, what warning signs to watch for, and how to protect your access long-term.