IV site changes/tubing changes???

leslie :-D · Jul 23, 2004

Hi just wondering how often people are changing IV site, bags and tubing?? We are currently re-doing our policies and wondering if items need to be changed as often as we are doing....q 24 hours on bags, q 72 hours on sites and tubing. Also does anyone know what the CDC recommendation for this is?? We will be researching from newborn to geriatric population and also those that come in with an IV started in the field and how soon to change that site. Thanks in advance for any help that you can give on this topic. Sharon

bags- 24 hrs

sites-q72h

tubing-q72h, continuous; q24h ivpb

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Jul 23, 2004

I think the policy you use now is universal to most institutions these days.

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Jul 23, 2004

Hi just wondering how often people are changing IV site, bags and tubing?? We are currently re-doing our policies and wondering if items need to be changed as often as we are doing....q 24 hours on bags, q 72 hours on sites and tubing. Also does anyone know what the CDC recommendation for this is?? We will be researching from newborn to geriatric population and also those that come in with an IV started in the field and how soon to change that site. Thanks in advance for any help that you can give on this topic. Sharon

We have recently change our policies regarding site changes as well as tubing changes.

IV Sites - every 72 hours - researching is showing that 96 hours is ok.

IV Tubing - every 72 hours

IV Tubing for IVPB - every 36 hours

IV Fluid - every 24 hours

TPN Tubing every 24 hours

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 23, 2004

IV sites and tubing q96 hours except tpn which is q24 with each new bag

IV fluid bags q24

A couple of years ago we went to q96 hours, but not sure which resource they used, perhaps the IV nurses association website can help you

Dixiedi · Jul 23, 2004

bags- 24 hrs
sites-q72h
tubing-q72h, continuous; q24h ivpb

Pretty standard around here too.

babies_r_us, RN · Jul 23, 2004

Thanks for all your replies!! I think our institution is hoping to go to the 96 hour policy but needs the statistics to back it up. I am trying to find something on teh CDC website but not having luck. I will check the IV site also. thanks again.

HamsterRN, ADN, RN · Apr 7, 2009

The current CDC recommendation is that both primary and secondary (intermittent) tubing be changed no more often than every 76 hours, except certain solutions such as lipids and blood. This is a class 1A recommendation, the strongest level of recommendation possible.

http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediawebserver.dyn?6666660Zjcf6lVs6EVs6661a5COrrrrQ-

Christie RN2006 · Apr 7, 2009

If we are running cardene, our policy is site change Q12 hours.

diane227, LPN, RN · Apr 16, 2009

tubing q 24 hours

iv sites q 3 days. Can extend dwell if the patient has poor veins, is a hard stick. Extend dwell IV must be checked by the IV nurse.

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Apr 16, 2009

We change tubing and dressings every 4 days.

We don't use peripheral IV sites, but when we do our official policy is every 4 days, but it also says if the site is showing no signs of distress we can go longer based on RNs judgment. Since pretty much none of us are able to start a peripheral IV, we let them go as long as possible. Generally, anyone that is there longer than 96 hrs gets at least a PICC.

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Apr 16, 2009

IV sites and tubing q96 hours except tpn which is q24 with each new bag
IV fluid bags q24
A couple of years ago we went to q96 hours, but not sure which resource they used, perhaps the IV nurses association website can help you

We're also q24h on TPN.

Also not sure where we got q96h, but it doesn't seem to be common.