Health care worker education and training |
Educate health care workers regarding indication for intravascular catheter use, proper procedures for insertion and maintenance, and infection control measures to prevent intravascular catheter-associated infections. |
Hand hygiene |
Observe proper hand hygiene either by washing hands with conventional antiseptic-containing soap and water or with waterless alcohol-based gels or foams. Use of gloves does not obviate the need for hand hygiene. |
Aseptic technique during catheter insertion and care |
Maintain aseptic technique for the insertion and care of intravascular catheters. Use maximal barrier precautions when inserting arterial or central venous catheters. |
Catheter site care |
Disinfect clean skin with an appropriate antiseptic before catheter insertion and at the time of dressing changes. A 2% chlorhexidine-based preparation is preferred, but there is no recommendation for its use in infants less than 2 months of age. |
Use sterile gauze or sterile transparent semipermeable dressing to cover the catheter site. |
Do not use topical antibiotic ointment or creams on insertion sites (except for dialysis catheters). |
Replacement of intravascular catheters |
Remove any intravascular catheter that is no longer essential. |
Replacement of infusion sets |
Replace administration sets (including secondary sets and add-on devices) every 7 days (in the absence of a clinical indication for earlier replacement). Replace tubing used to administer blood, blood products, or lipid emulsions within 24 hours of initiating the infusion. Replace tubing used to administer propofol infusions every 6 to 12 hours, depending on its use, per the manufacturer's recommendation. |
Parenteral fluids |
Complete the infusion of lipid-containing solutions within 24 hours of hanging the solution. |
Complete the infusion of lipid emulsions alone within 12 hours of hanging the solution. |
Complete infusions of blood or other blood products within 4 hours of hanging the blood. |
Intravenous injection ports |
Clean injection ports with 70% alcohol or an iodophor before accessing the system. |
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