POST-INSERTION MAINTENANCE

Dressing Changes:

• Apply a gauze or semi-permeable sterile transparent dressing. Change gauze dressings every 24 hours and transparent dressings every 7 days or sooner if either type of dressing becomes loose or soiled in any way. Antimicrobial dressing should be considered for femoral catheters.

Securement:

• Secured lines are less likely to break or dislodge leading to complications. Follow the manufacturer's taping instructions and consider steri-strips, suture strips, HubGuard®, StatLock® and other securement devices. Avoid routine suture to decrease site infection and reduce needle sticks.

Important:

Remove catheters upon confirmed complication or as soon as the catheter is no longer medically necessary based on hospital policy and procedure. The 2011 CDC Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections, clearly address the removal of catheters for suspected infection: "Do not routinely replace CVCs, PICCs or hemodialysis catheters, or pulmonary artery catheters to prevent catheter-related infections. Do not remove CVCs or PICCs on the basis of fever alone. Use clinical judgment regarding the appropriateness of removing the catheter if infection is evidenced elsewhere or if a noninfectious cause of fever is suspected."


Return to Table of Contents