Should pediatric patients shower with central lines while in the hospital setting

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What is the consensus on pediatric oncology patients with central lines showering while connected to an IV pump and having the insertion site and tubing covered?

I have received several answers. Some physicians want their patients disconnected from the IV pump while showering;others want to the patient to remain connected to keep the system intact.

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.
What is the consensus on pediatric oncology patients with central lines showering while connected to an IV pump and having the insertion site and tubing covered?

I have received several answers. Some physicians want their patients disconnected from the IV pump while showering;others want to the patient to remain connected to keep the system intact.

I have never worked anywhere (including pediatric hospitals) that allowed pts to shower while hooked up to an IV infusion. We would always disconnect them from the pump, and if that wasn't possible then they were not able to shower.

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Disconnect them, hep lock, waterproof the site, shower, rehook up to pump. If the site gets wet change the dressing

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It's not safe to take the IV pump into the shower - it's an electrical device and those don't play well with water! If the pt can't be disconnected from whatever's infusing for 10 minutes, then they can't shower. We have a similar issue on my unit with telemetry patients. If you're so unstable, cardiac-wise, that you can't be off monitoring for 10 minutes, no shower for you.

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Specializes in ICU.

Most IV pumps have a battery-pack, so when un-plugged from the electrical outlet, the battery kicks in.

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Specializes in Pedi.
What is the consensus on pediatric oncology patients with central lines showering while connected to an IV pump and having the insertion site and tubing covered?

I have received several answers. Some physicians want their patients disconnected from the IV pump while showering;others want to the patient to remain connected to keep the system intact.

No, they shouldn't bring an IV pump in the shower. Disconnect the infusion, hep lock the line, cover the site with AquaGuard or whatever your facility uses and reconnect them after the shower. If whatever is running cannot be disconnected (like a 24 hr infusion of chemo or something), they can have a bed bath or shower after the infusion is complete.

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I have given bed-baths to patients who could not be disconnected to their IV's to take a shower. I agree it's an electrical device and should not be in the shower.

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