Central Line Tubing Change

[jack4408]

What is your hospital's procedure for changing IV bags and tubings for central lines?

[NIGHTWOLF87]

we change our tubing q24hrs on all of our lines, central and peripheral. we use sterile technique to change our central lines, and all tubing and iv fluids are changed on day shift (7a-7p). on nights we change out the beds and weigh the infants, except the most critical, or course.

[ccavrn]

OK, do you have any references in literature or texts to guide this practice? Did you collect evidence in your hospital that let you to change tubings using sterile technique and more often than the CDC guidelines, which state every 72 hours? I am aware that some NICUs and PICUs do this, I am trying to find out the "why" and see if there is evidence to support this. I have only found studies that suggest there is no need to do this, including the CDC guidelines. Thanks

[babyNP., APRN]

I have to agree with the above. The tubing that you're touching with your sterile hands isn't sterile...so why would you do it that way? On my unit, we don't use sterile gloves, but obviously the connection is sterile...

[UTVOL3]

I know in our hospital they specifically told us there was no evidence to support the sterile glove/mask/hat deal when changing out fluids on central lines. However, we were to do it anyway. They were just at a loss for why we had so much coag neg staph. Seriously they were about ready to try voodoo or something if they thought it'd help.

Personally I always suspected something was up with the way they classified the infections. Never found out, I have been gone from there for a year now. Don't know if they ever figured it out.