Ok, I understand now Cathy! I am used to calling the central lines either lines or CVL, not tubes.

I have seen those lines come out as well, many of the children and young adults on my TPN listserv have had that happen, and we have found that keeping a close eye on the length (measuring the length with each dressing change)of the line so you can see if it is pulling out is a big help. They do make some that are tunneled under the skin, they have a velcro like cuff on them that is "supposed" to keep it from slipping out, but there also some that have to be stitched in to remain where they are supposed to... those tend to be the ones that fall out. I never could figure out why the docs use that kind anyway if it was supposed to be a long term placement.

Thankfully Sean's have never fallen out, though his first baby line broke 9 times during the year he had it! It actually handled that many repairs though, so we were thankful not to have to have him go through surgery again and again.

Heidi