Anesthesia Coding Alert

Hint: Insertion, depth help you decide.

Anesthesia providers use a variety of lines to access a patient's veins for medication delivery. The options fall into one of two major categories: central venous catheters (CVC) and central venous access (CVA) devices.

The difference between CVC and CVA lies in the depth of insertion and the type of vessel accessed.

• Central venous access devices are small, flexible tubes placed in large veins for people who require frequent access to the bloodstream. They might be referred to as venous access ports or catheters, because they allow frequent access to the veins without deep needle sticks. CVAs typically stay in place for long periods (weeks, months, or even longer). For example, a patient receiving chemotherapy could have a CVA. The physician implants the device under the skin so that it's "out of sight, out of mind" until it's needed again.
  
• Central venous catheters (such as a PICC line) are longer and travel from a vein in the patient's arm or leg into one of the large veins near the heart. Having a termination point near the center of the patient's body allows for treatment that could not be completed from standard periphery IV access.