central line
noun
medical
: an IV line that is inserted into a large vein (such as the superior vena cava) typically in the neck or near the heart for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes (as to administer medicines or fluids or withdraw blood)
Central lines transfuse IV fluids faster than standard IVs and are used to deliver medicines to sicker patients, usually in the intensive care unit or operating room.—
Tim Friend
Tim FriendExamples of central line in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What remains is a season of TV where people wear scrubs and yell about intubations and central lines, and underneath it all there’s a story about one woman’s unnecessary, unfounded anxiety.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025
Similarly, if an ill child has medical restrictions, such as a central line preventing roughhousing, explain why typical play may need to be adjusted.
—Friends Of Karen, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Instead of only a peripheral IV, a heightened procedure called a central line that includes a catheter is now in place if needed.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 6 Mar. 2025
Schofield was arrested following a Medford police investigation, which was launched after hospital officials reported an increase of central line infections occurring at the medical center from July 2022 through July 2023, according to AP.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for central line
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Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025
Similarly, if an ill child has medical restrictions, such as a central line preventing roughhousing, explain why typical play may need to be adjusted.
—Friends Of Karen, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Instead of only a peripheral IV, a heightened procedure called a central line that includes a catheter is now in place if needed.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 6 Mar. 2025
Schofield was arrested following a Medford police investigation, which was launched after hospital officials reported an increase of central line infections occurring at the medical center from July 2022 through July 2023, according to AP.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for central line
Cite this Entry
“Central line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/central%20line. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
central line
noun
: an IV line that is inserted into a large vein (as the superior vena cava) typically in the neck or near the heart for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes (as to administer medicines or fluids or withdraw blood)
I had trained in the intensive care unit. I could start a central line, intubate a patient in respiratory failure, and insert a pacemaker.—Margaret Seton, The New England Journal of Medicine
Margaret Seton, The New England Journal of MedicineLove words? Need even more definitions?
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