[Anonymous]

If there are any IV nurses, or someone else in the know, I have a question about the frequency with which hep locks should be changed. Our policy manual states every 72 hours, whether its a continuous infusion or a hep/saline lock. But a new resident in the facility says that hep/saline locks only need to be changed every 5 days. How often should we be changing our locks?

[ru4e]

Our policy says q 3 days.

[oh hd rn]

that resident may be quoting the "latest and greatest" theory...

the policies at both hospitals where i work state every 72 hours

[1mg.epi]

Our area standard of care is q72hr. I would check your facility POLICY. Then check with other hospitals in your area to find out the area standard of care. that is what the courts look at.

[cassioo]

Ours is also 72 hours however a physician may write to not change if IV/lock is still working and no S&S of needing changed....especially in the pediatric population. We usually don't have IV's that long in LDRP or if we do they need changed before time is up anyway mostly because of phenergan pushes.

[1mg.epi]

ya, elderly where you have to stick 10 times to get an I.V.. We have a policy in place that if we document that the site is free of s/s of infection we can leave it in place. But there better be backup documentation that if the I.V. was D/C'd you may not get another one started.

[April Sue]

Intravenous Nurse Society standards state IV's should be changed every 72hours. If the IV was inserted by EMS in the field it should be changed as soon as feasible and no later than 48 hours. CDC recommends iv sites be changed every 72-96 hours.