Central Venous Catheter: Changing the Dressing
Central Venous Catheter: Changing the DressingSkip to the navigationTopic OverviewThese are general guidelines. Your nurse may change and care for your catheter at home. Or a nurse will teach you how to take care of your catheter. Be sure to follow the specific instructions he or she gives you. Call your doctor if you have questions or concerns. In general, a clear dressing needs to be changed once a week, such as
every Monday. A gauze dressing needs to be changed 2 or 3 times a week, such as
every Monday and Thursday or every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Also, change
your dressing right away if it becomes wet, loose, or dirty. - Wash your hands with warm, soapy water. Rinse and
dry your hands with a clean towel or paper towels.
- Prepare a clean
work area, such as a clean counter in your kitchen or bathroom.
- You may wish to spread several clean paper
towels over your work area.
- If you change your dressing in the
kitchen, do not leave food on the counter.
- Gather the supplies you need for your dressing
change, including:
- An antiseptic, such as alcohol prep pads and
swabs or Betadine swabs. Some health professionals recommend chlorhexidine.
Your health professional will tell you which type of antiseptic he or she
prefers.
- Gauze and tape bandage or a clear dressing.
- Wash and dry your hands again.
- Open
the packages that contain the antiseptic swabs. Lay them on the clean work
surface.
- Remove the old dressing.
- Do not tug on the catheter.
- Do
not touch the catheter insertion site.
- Inspect the site by looking for redness, swelling,
or drainage. Notice whether the area around the catheter is tender or sore when
you remove the bandage or move the catheter.
- Rewash and redry your
hands.
- Remove one alcohol swab from the package and clean around
the catheter exit site in a circular fashion, starting at the insertion site
and moving out.
- Remove an antiseptic swab, such as a Betadine swab, from the package and clean
around the catheter exit site in a circular fashion, starting at the insertion
site and moving out.
- Repeat with a second antiseptic
swab.
- Do not use a swab more than once.
- Discard each
swab after use.
- Using an alcohol prep pad, grip the catheter at the
exit site. Using another alcohol pad, gently clean the outside of the catheter.
- Start from the exit site and move toward the
cap.
- If your catheter has 2 or 3 lumens, use a fresh pad to clean
each lumen.
- Apply gauze or a clear dressing. If you are using a
gauze dressing, secure it with tape.
- Loop the catheter under one
corner of the dressing or place it over one corner of the dressing and secure
it with tape.
- You may need to experiment with different
positions to find the one most comfortable for you.
- To safeguard
against the catheter getting caught or pulled during your activities, make sure
the catheter does not hang or flop loosely.
- Dispose of the old dressing and any used materials
as directed by your nurse.
CreditsByHealthwise Staff Primary Medical ReviewerE. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Specialist Medical ReviewerWilliam H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine Current as ofMarch 20, 2017 Current as of:
March 20, 2017 Last modified on: 8 September 2017
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