What are your IV site change policies?

Nurses General Nursing

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How often do you change the site? Central line drsgs? Field IV's?

Where and how do you document this at your facility,especially if you have computer charting. Who monitors compliance?

Oh and field IV's are changed because of possable contamination at the time of insertion.....they aren't always in the best places to be when shit happens!

piv's q7 days, art lines q4 days, central lines q7 days. checkout ww.cdc.gov for the government recommendations

JNJ - I'm maintaining a 14 month old PICC with ACF insertion site on a 26 lb child, at home. It's been changed q2 days since insertion; recently I changed this to Mon, Wed, Friday to reduce parent's interventions at weekends. We use Betadine, 3 Primapores to secure, followed by 3 tapes (including chevron) to secure at port bifurction, followed by Kling, followed by Coban. Site looks fine, but skin around the 2 suture points is deteriorating with swelling and erythema. Sutures only seem to last 4-8 weeks max.

Any comments, bright ideas out there?

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

We used to have an IV team many years ago. It was so nice to beep them. On the day shift they would make rounds on all patients and document. One less thing to worry about, especially on those hard sticks.

Long live IV teams!!!

Specializes in Med-surg; OB/Well baby; pulmonology; RTS.
Originally posted by baseline

How often do you change the site? Central line drsgs? Field IV's?

Where and how do you document this at your facility,especially if you have computer charting. Who monitors compliance?

Peripheral sites are changed q 96 hrs, unless the person is a VERY hard stick....then we usually will perform site care q 96 hrs...All tubing is changed q 96 hrs unless it is TPN or lipids-in that case q 24 hrs. Central line drsgs are changed q 96 hrs unless they are wet or loose or soiled. Port a cath needles are changed q 7 days-drsgs the same unless wet or loose.

We document IV site changes, sites, etc on the back of our MAR..

Our nurse manager monitors this......

:D

Do you change your piggyback tubing more often? We change secondary lines eg for abx and other intermittent drugs q24h.

This is interesting......one can always rely on allnurses to give a good response! I am putting an IV team on my wish list, it would be SO helpful to the staff!! Not likely to happen, but I will still wish!!!

Tubing changes are q72h, including piggyback tubing for peripheral sites. CL and PICC line tubing changes are q48 hours. TPN and lipids q24h. Blood tubing is changed after the 2nd unit infused, or 8 hour max time-whatever happens first.

While we are discussing IV's I would like to know what your facility's policies are on for PICC's and midline IV's. How often do you measure the circumference of the upper arm, what marking the line is at, and anything else you can think of. We are starting to see more PICC's and midlines on our floor and revamping policies.....

If you PM me your email, I will send it to you. Or fax.

Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

At my facility, Peripheral IV sites are changed q 5 days, IV tubing q 72 hrs, Central line dressings q 72 hrs, Picc Line drsg's q 72 hrs. Diprivan tubing q 12 hrs, TPN and tube feeding tubing q 24 hrs. IV team does all Central line and PICC line drsg and tubing changes in my facility.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

We leave our IV's in as long as we can, we get orders after 72 hours. We don't change the dressings unless they need it. CVL's drsgs are changed Q72 hours, PICC lines we generally leave alone, but we are getting braver at changing the dressings! At least once a week we try to change them, usually with 2 nurses doing it.

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