Central Venous Catheter in Spanish

Why a central line is used

MedlinePlus lists several reasons a person may have a central line: needing antibiotics or other medicines for an extended period of time, needing nutrition or hydration because the bowels are not absorbing enough, needing to receive a large amount of blood or fluid quickly, needing blood samples taken more than once a day, or needing kidney dialysis.

Port, PICC, CVC and CVAD: words seen with it

The National Cancer Institute notes that there are several types of central venous access catheters. A catheter in the chest is sometimes attached to a device called a port that sits under the skin; the port and catheter are put in place during a minor surgery. MedlinePlus groups the terms peripherally inserted central catheter and PICC with central venous catheter and CVC in its central line articles.

What it means

A central venous catheter (CVC), which MedlinePlus also calls a central line, is a long, thin tube that goes into a vein in the chest, arm, or groin and ends in the heart or in a large vein usually near the heart. It carries nutrients, fluids, and medicine into the body, and it can also be used to take blood for blood tests. A central venous catheter is sometimes left in place for weeks or months to avoid repeated needle sticks. A central line needs special care to prevent infection. Signs of infection, such as fever or redness at the site, should be reported to a provider or nurse right away, and emergency signs need urgent care (call 911 in the U.S.).

Spanish term: Catéter venoso central
Gender and article: masculine: el catéter venoso central (plural: los catéteres venosos centrales)
Pronunciation: kah-TEH-tehr beh-NOH-soh sehn-TRAHL

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
vía central	General	The name MedlinePlus en español uses throughout its hospital article on central line infections; feminine (la vía central).
línea central	General	Used by MedlinePlus en español in a heading of the same article, alongside vía central.
catéter central de acceso venoso	General	Headword of the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary, which gives catéter venoso central as another name for it.
vía venosa central / cánula venosa central	General	Two further names the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary lists for the same device.
CVC	General	Abbreviation that MedlinePlus en español lists next to catéter venoso central among the alternative names of its central line article.

The Real Academia Española dictionary records catéter as a masculine medical noun, so the phrase takes el and un, and the adjectives follow in the masculine: el catéter venoso central. The plural is catéteres venosos centrales. The same dictionary defines a catéter as a kind of sonda and lists sonda as its synonym, and MedlinePlus en español explains the device as una sonda (catéter) larga, while the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary speaks of un tubo delgado y flexible.

Expect to hear a second name. MedlinePlus en español calls the same device una vía central, and one heading on that page says línea central. Note the gender change: el catéter but la vía and la línea. The National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary uses the longer headword catéter central de acceso venoso and gives catéter venoso central, vía venosa central and cánula venosa central as other names. Two words MedlinePlus en español uses with it are apósito (the dressing over the site) and puerto (a port under the skin).

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	We need to place a central venous catheter so you can receive your medicines over the next few weeks.	Tenemos que colocarle un catéter venoso central para que pueda recibir sus medicamentos durante las próximas semanas.
Patient	Is a central line the same as a regular IV in my arm?	¿Una vía central es lo mismo que una vía intravenosa normal en el brazo?
Clinician	The catheter goes into a vein in your chest and ends in a large vein near your heart.	El catéter entra en una vena del pecho y termina en una vena grande cerca del corazón.
Patient	How long will I have the catheter in?	¿Cuánto tiempo voy a tener puesto el catéter?
Clinician	Please do not touch the central line unless you have washed your hands.	Por favor, no toque la vía central a menos que se haya lavado las manos.
Patient	The dressing got wet. Can someone change it?	El apósito se mojó. ¿Alguien me lo puede cambiar?
Patient	The skin around my catheter is red and swollen, and I have a fever.	La piel alrededor del catéter está roja e hinchada, y tengo fiebre.
Patient	Can I shower with the central line, and whom do I tell if it leaks?	¿Puedo ducharme con la vía central, y a quién le aviso si tiene una fuga?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Central Venous Catheter
Spanish (Español)	Catéter venoso central
Chinese (中文)	中央靜脈導管
Korean (한국어)	중심 정맥 카테터
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Catheter tĩnh mạch trung tâm
Filipino (Tagalog)	Central venous catheter
Portuguese (Português)	Cateter venoso central
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	สายสวนหลอดเลือดดำส่วนกลาง
Japanese (日本語)	中心静脈カテーテル

Where you'll see it

chartmedical record

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: General care: tests, procedures and medicines

All terms in this area: General care: tests, procedures and medicines — Atención general: pruebas, procedimientos y medicamentos

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.