Central venous catheter - dressing change

Central venous catheters are used when people need medical treatment over a long period.

• You may need antibiotics or other medicines for weeks to months.
• You may need extra nutrition because your bowels are not working correctly.
• You may be receiving kidney dialysis.
• You may be receiving cancer medicines.

You'll need to change your dressing often, so that germs don't get into your catheter and make you sick. Follow your health care provider's instructions on changing your dressing. Use this sheet to help remind you of the steps.

You should change the dressing about once a week. You will need to change it sooner if it becomes loose or gets wet or dirty. After some practice, it will get easier. A friend, family member, caregiver, or your provider may be able to help you.

Your provider will tell you when you can shower or bathe after surgery. When you do, make sure the dressings are secure and your catheter site is staying dry. Do not let the catheter site go under water if you are soaking in the bathtub.

Your provider will give you a prescription for the supplies you will need. You can buy these at a medical supply store. It will be helpful to know the name of your catheter and what company made it. Write this information down and keep it handy.

When your catheter is put in place, the nurse will give you a label that tells you the make of the catheter. Keep this for when you buy your supplies.

To change your dressings, you will need:

• Sterile gloves
• Cleaning solution
• A special sponge
• A special patch, called a Biopatch
• A clear barrier bandage, such as Tegaderm or Covaderm

You will change your dressings in a sterile (very clean) way. Follow these steps:

• Wash your hands for 30 seconds with soap and water. Be sure to wash between your fingers and under your nails. Remove all jewelry from your fingers before washing.
• Dry with a clean paper towel.
• Set up your supplies on a clean surface on a new paper towel.
• Put on a pair of clean gloves.
• Gently peel off the old barrier bandage and Biopatch. Throw away the old dressing and gloves.
• Put on a new pair of sterile gloves.
• Check your skin for redness, swelling, or any bleeding or other drainage around the catheter.
• Clean the skin with the sponge and cleaning solution. Air dry after cleaning.
• Place a new Biopatch over the area where the catheter enters your skin. Keep the grid side up and the split ends touching.
• Peel the backing from the clear plastic barrier bandage (Tegaderm or Covaderm) and place it over the catheter.
• Write down the date you changed your dressing.
• Remove the gloves and wash your hands.

Keep all the clamps on your catheter closed at all times. It is a good idea to change the caps at the end of your catheter (called the claves) when you change your dressing. Your provider will tell you how to do this.

Contact your provider if you:

• Are having trouble changing your dressings
• Have bleeding, redness or swelling at the site
• Notice leaking, or the catheter is cut or cracked
• Have pain near the site or in your neck, face, chest, or arm
• Have signs of infection (fever, chills)
• Are short of breath
• Feel dizzy

Also contact your provider if your catheter:

• Is coming out of your vein
• Seems blocked, or you are not able to flush it

Central venous access device - dressing change; CVAD - dressing change

Hamady M, Hakim W. Venous access and interventions. In: Adam A, Dixon AK, Gillard JH, Schaefer-Prokop CM, eds. Grainger & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 86.

Practice guidelines for central venous access 2020: an updated report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on central venous access. Anesthesiology. 2020;132(1):8-43. PMID: 31821240 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31821240/.

Schwartz S, Vo V, Lamuraglia GM. Postoperative management. In: Sidawy AN, Perler BA, eds. Rutherford's Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 36.

Updated by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.