Home Infusion-Tunneled Cuffed Central Venous Catheter(CVC) Care

• Do NOT tug or pull on the catheter
• Avoid getting dressing wet by covering for showers. 
  • Once the insertion site is healed and a dressing is not needed, your nurse will tell you to stop using the dressing. 
  • Once the dressing is not needed, clean site daily, with soap and water in the shower.
  • Your nurse will tell you if you need to use the antimicrobial disk.  The site must be well healed to stop using it.  
• Always tape a dependent loop (see picture) in the catheter.  This loop helps to protect the line.  Any tension will pull on the tape and not the insertion site.  The location of the tape can be rotated to avoid any skin irritation from the adhesives over time. 
• Injection cap to be changed at least weekly.
• Look at the insertion site and area around it daily. 
• Call your nurse or provider is you see any of these signs of infection or problems:
  
  • A fever of 100.5 F or higher.
  • Shaking chills after you flush your catheter.
  • Redness, tenderness, bleeding, or drainage at your catheter site or along the tunnel.
  • A skin rash under your dressing.
  • Pain, swelling, or numbness in your arm or neck on the same side as your catheter.
  • If your catheter cuff can be seen at the exit site.
  • Trouble flushing your catheter.  If this happens, do not force the flush.  Forcing can cause your catheter to break.
  • Breaks, leaks, or tears in your catheter.  If this happens:  clamp the catheter between the damaged area and your body.  Cover the catheter with a sterile 4x4 gauze pad and call your doctor or nurse immediately. 
  • If your dressing gets wet in the shower or tub (until the time you no longer need a dressing).