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Picc Line in season 8 for a character's infection and common medical knowledge gaffs.
1. PICC lines are placed with use xray/flouroscope imaging in radiology. It goes almost into the heart. Picc lines are flushed BEFORE placement to clear all air out of the line before putting it in a vein, to avoid an air embolism. PICC lines are placed in a sterile environment and have a sterile specialized dressing that contains a square of chlorahexadine to prevent infection at the site. PICC lines have a huge infection risk and blood clot risk. A standard IV line would be just as good for IV antibiotics with far less risk to the patient. You would not simply tape it down without a special dressing. Guarenteed heart infection with that approach.
2. It is impossible to start an IV on yourself one handed. Nearly all IV's are in the arm. This process and equipment is very different than inserting a syringe into a vein and requires 2 hands. No medical professional could start their own IV. Its physically impossible with the equipment that requires 2 hands.
3. IV clindmycin is not considered a powerful antibiotic.
4. You don't "strap around" or push in an IV bag. Basically everything in this scene is wrong. Its all common information available on wikipedia.
Also, Burt, Michael, Saul, and Angel consistantly use the term "clip" when referring to semi auto magazine fed firearms. The correct term is a "magazine". Any member if the military (except Marcus? Lol) would never use the incorrect term "clip" in this way. It's a pet pieve of drill instructors and trained out quick. It's considered almost as bad as saying "gun" instead of "weapon" or "rifle"
Last edited by gijoekster; Sep 12th, 2019 at 08:43 PM.
What you're talking about is a midline IV. Usually an 18 gauge, and placed with an ultrasound.
A PICC line is a central line that has 50ish centimeters of catheter tube that stops right before the atrium of the heart and is placed in the Interventional radiology dept with live xray/flouroscope imaging to confirm placment. These are not done in the field and are flushed/filled prior to placement or the air would kill the patient once flushed through by antibiotics. A PICC has a chlorohexadine antimicrobial gel in the special dressing to prevent infection that would spread quickly the heart.
PICC lines and IV lines cannot be "pushed back in" after they are discontinued, even accidentally. It would blow the vein, kink and occlude, or kill the patient with sepsis.
Also a person cannot physically start an IV on themselves in the arm. It's way different then injecting into a vein with a syringe. The needles used for IV and PICC lines take two hands to hold, maintain in the arm, then remove the needle. A thin plastic catheter stays in the vein that is over the needle until the needle is pulled out and disposed of once the site is started. You cant do all of this with one hand on yourself.
Also the antibiotics they use in Saul's picc are pretty low key. Vancomycin would be used on a deep wound.
I cant wrap my head around the gas shortage, ammo shortage etc. this is a common problem with the zombie genre. I understand a story device to influence pace, create drama etc, but there are plenty of ways to di that with zombies trying to eat you. The population has been cut drastically. The people who would be burning the gas and eating canned goods are mostly dead, or chomping on the few live ones left. The infrastructure to support the population prior to Z-day would mostly be there. Think about all the gas stations anor hydroelectric plants. You could hookup a generaoir to the diesel tank through the refill hatch on the ground that semi truck used to refill and power the pumps with it. Theres soooo much fuel out there and less than a 10th of the population to use it. The average American commuting family used approx 500 gallons of gas a year and a tanker holds 11,000 gallons. Your average gas station has 24,000 gallons of fuel sitting in the tanks!
Last on the gas subject. When Kilani is looking for jet fuel for the helicopters, the military uses jet fuel jp8 in their humvees, and just about every other land and air vehicle.
Last edited by gijoekster; Oct 21st, 2019 at 12:47 AM.
Gas has an expiration date. It does go bad. With food and such, There were episodes where the infected where eating the food. So that somewhat explains that. Also I do not think they ventured very far out in the earlier times so food, gas, ammo was limited. Especially Ammo. This is California they are in after all. One of the most restrictive states when it comes to guns and ammo. With the other stuff.. Pends on how many engineers are left that can utilize or train others to work those plants and other stuff.
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