Wiping off IV ports

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I almost exclusively have patient's with central lines at work, so scrubbing the ports before using them with an alcohol wipe is essential. When I do have a patient with a peripheral IV, however, when flushing it or connecting tubing I still scrub it with alcohol. I feel like this is how I was taught in school. My dad was in the hospital and people were constantly doing stuff with his IV, no alcohol wipe. I figured it was poor practice, but a short cut in a busy unit. Then I had to go to a different hospital for a CT scan, and there the nurse pushes contrast and connected fluids never using an alcohol wipe (except for insertion). Do you use alcohol wipes? Are they needed?

Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.

I always scrubbed the hubs when doing pushes, but at the hospital where I went to school no one ever scrubbed the hub before "looping" the iv when unplugging it. My new hospital they all do, and I was soooo embarrassed to realize that I had been looping into contaminated hubs. I mean, DUH, right? Pretty obvious but I just never thought about it because that's what my teachers and all the nurses did. And now they tell me we can't even loop the iv at all even if it's been scrubbed, we have to use a new sterile port cap. (But yet they expect us to go to the supply room and charge one out every time we have to disconnect a line, instead of just making them available to pocket like the alcohol wipes. Even though they only cost a few pennies a piece, I was told.)

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Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.

Our facility policy always scrubbing ports with alcohol/friction for each and every connection. It's easy after you get used to it.

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Specializes in Neurosciences, cardiac, critical care.
Gtubes? What do you wipe and why?

I'm curious about this also. Not like the stomach is sterile.

Oh man, I scrub that hub! And I count to three in my head while I do it. At this point it's so ingrained that when I see another nurse NOT scrubbing the hub it skeeves me out. But I've been known to rip down unlabeled IV tubing as well :rolleyes:

Actually, studies have shown that 15 seconds of vigorous scrubbing, similar to the motion you'd use when juicing an orange, are required for optimal reduction of bacterial load. I'm tempted to cut it short all the time, but I just remind myself that 10 more seconds of my day could prevent a crappy outcome for the patient.

I always scrubbed the hubs when doing pushes, but at the hospital where I went to school no one ever scrubbed the hub before "looping" the iv when unplugging it. My new hospital they all do, and I was soooo embarrassed to realize that I had been looping into contaminated hubs. I mean, DUH, right? Pretty obvious but I just never thought about it because that's what my teachers and all the nurses did. And now they tell me we can't even loop the iv at all even if it's been scrubbed, we have to use a new sterile port cap. (But yet they expect us to go to the supply room and charge one out every time we have to disconnect a line, instead of just making them available to pocket like the alcohol wipes. Even though they only cost a few pennies a piece, I was told.)

OMG I hate it when I find tubing like that. The cap to your pre-filled NS flush fits the end of the tubing too, and that's sterile. I carry a few flushes around with me always (whatever, Joint Commission- explain to me how an NS syringe in my pocket is more cross-contamination than my cheat sheet or pens) and I end up using them as much for the cap as I do to use them for flushing. Honestly, when I see tubing looped, I get upset because I don't feel right using that tubing- I have no idea whether the sleepy nurse last night scrubbed first. Come on, the minute it takes to run for a cap vs. priming all new tubing!!!! Let's just do the BEST thing for our patients.

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Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.

Facilities in my area have signs with "scrub the hub --> 15 seconds, EVERY time" hanging E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E!!!! Break room, nursing stations/pods, patient whiteboard, med room, employee toilets, random spots in hallway.

The little Infection Control audit dude would have a conniption fit if he saw what you described!

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One of my patients recently had bacteremia that was suspected to be from a PIV. You should always scrub every port- you're washing that bacteria straight into their bloodstream!

The cap to your pre-filled NS flush fits the end of the tubing too, and that's sterile. I carry a few flushes around with me always (whatever, Joint Commission- explain to me how an NS syringe in my pocket is more cross-contamination than my cheat sheet or pens) and I end up using them as much for the cap as I do to use them for flushing..

I do the same thing. You have to flush anyway, why not put that nice clean cap to good use? I'll admit, I don't usually scrub between a push and subsequent flush, but it's already clean, and I don't want to risk re-contamination. Code situations don't always get a scrub between rounds either...

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The cap to your pre-filled NS flush fits the end of the tubing too, and that's sterile.

And impossible to get back off the end of some tubing. UGH. Pet PEEVE of mine!!

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Specializes in Neurosciences, cardiac, critical care.
And impossible to get back off the end of some tubing. UGH. Pet PEEVE of mine!!

I guess that depends on how tightly you screw it on- I've never had an issue removing it later. What I DO have problems with is the hubs on PICCs/TLCs- how the heck do the big strong radiology guys expect lil' ol nurse me to change those suckers?

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Oh man, I scrub that hub! And I count to three in my head while I do it. At this point it's so ingrained that when I see another nurse NOT scrubbing the hub it skeeves me out. But I've been known to rip down unlabeled IV tubing as well :rolleyes:
So I'm not the only one. Drives me crazy. Once came back to work after a couple days off and pt had since had Picc line insertion and what do I see but the same bag of NS I had hung on my last shift with that pt. (for intermittent use for multiple abx). Gross!
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We use swab caps so that helps to keep the ports clean. Before applying the swab caps, I may clean the port as well. When I need to take off a swab cap to connect antibiotics, sometimes I still wipe the port. 99% of the time all my ports are covered with swab caps. I find them very useful.

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

We use chlorhexidine to scrub our central line ports. They look kinda like little blue coffee creamers.

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We use swab caps so that helps to keep the ports clean. Before applying the swab caps, I may clean the port as well. When I need to take off a swab cap to connect antibiotics, sometimes I still wipe the port. 99% of the time all my ports are covered with swab caps. I find them very useful.

We are also using these - they work quite well. We hang a strip on them on the IV pole so there is no excuse not to use one.

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I HATE it when I see nurses wipe the ports for literally 1 second, I'm sorry but that is not effective at all. According to research wiping ports for 15 seconds or more is effective. They stare at me and give me a mean look when I take 15 seconds to wipe ports, finger to get Blood glucose checked etc.

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