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

Examples of central line in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And suddenly the idea that rampant fraud had occurred became a central line of rhetoric as Trump sought to explain his performance. —Philip Bump, Washington Post, 17 June 2024

The police department noted that medical experts consulted on the case said that the questionable deaths associated with Schofield's case could not be directly attributed to the central line infections. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 14 June 2024

The arrest comes nearly seven months after officials at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center, a 378-bed hospital in Medford, contacted police with concerns about a growing number of central line infections among patients. —Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 13 June 2024

Blue questioned his ability to place a central line while Lucas worried Simone had told the hospital lawyers about their unauthorized procedure. —Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Medical 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