Can patients be sent home with a temporary catheter for HPN use?

• A. Yes
• B. No
• C. Only with physician approval
• D. Only for limited duration

Answer: (B)

The essential point is that home parenteral nutrition requires stable, long-term central venous access that can be safely managed outside the hospital with proper training and support. Temporary catheters are intended for short-term, acute settings and come with higher risks for infection, thrombosis, and dislodgement. They also have limits on dwell time and may not reliably support the continuous, multi-lumen access needed for PN and any accompanying medications. Because of these safety and care-pattern concerns, patients are not typically discharged with a temporary catheter for home PN; a long-term, appropriate central access device and a structured home PN program are used instead.