The primary goal of central venous catheter care is to protect the patient from catheter-related infections and prevent catheter occlusion.
The steps that should be performed in a sterile manner during catheter care include:
Cleaning and changing the dressing at the catheter exit site.
Flushing the catheter lumens.
Changing the catheter caps.
The recommended time intervals for changing catheter dressings are 7 days for transparent dressings and 24 hours for absorbent dressings. The catheter insertion site should be checked daily for redness, swelling, and pain. In case of any infection or contamination, the dressing should be changed without waiting for the scheduled time intervals.
