Use of Midline Catheters for Blood Specimen Collection in Difficult Intravenous Access Patients: A Quality Improvement Project.

Vascular access can be challenging in certain populations. Midline catheters (MLCs) are a potential solution, enabling the avoidance of central catheters, yet providing more consistent access. Although research evaluates the use of MLCs for treatment delivery, there is limited evidence regarding the use of MLCs for specimen collection. This project aimed to examine the evidence and explore a change in practice regarding the collection of specimens using MLCs. A vascular access team followed patients with MLCs used for laboratory specimen collection over 6 months. Either vascular access nurses or registered nurses drew the laboratories from the MLCs and monitored outcome data while the MLC was in use. Fifty-three patients with MLCs were ordered for laboratory draws. The average dwell time was 7.23 days, and the average number of days an MLC successfully gave blood return was 4.09. Overall, the patients avoided venipuncture over 225 days. Extremely low complication rates were documented and were comparable to previous research. Midline catheters can be used for specimen collection in difficult-to-access populations. The low complication rates and decreased patient venipunctures support consideration of this intervention. However, more work is needed to standardize best practice in this area.