How often do bandages need to be changed with a central venous access catheter?
As a general rule, your attending doctor will decide as to how often your bandage needs to be renewed. The decision will mainly depend on the state of the catheter exit site, that is to say, on the state of the puncture site.
The Robert Koch Institute in Germany recommends the following: *
- the bandages should be inspected on a daily basis. The catheter exit site/puncture site should be inspected for pressure pain and the gauze-pad bandage and bandagesshould be intact (pain is often an initial indicator that an infection is developing)
- the gauze-pad bandages should be changed on a daily basis if the patient is restricted in terms of cooperativeness (disturbance of consciousness, respiration) or if the patient shows a lessened sensitivity to pain
- the bandages should be removed and the catheter exit site/puncture site should be inspected if signs of pressure pain, fever unclear symptoms in the patient with unknown cause or sepsis appear
- transparent bandages should be changed on a routine basis at the latest after every 7 days
- the bandages should be changed immediately if they have become dirty, wet or soaked, are starting to loosen or if infection is suspected
- the procedure of changing bandages should be carried out in an aseptic way
* http://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/Krankenhaushygiene/Kommission/Downloads/Gefaesskat_Rili.html