Sammanfattning
Background: Patients who are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with central venous
catheter (CVC) are at risk for catheter-related infections. Bloodstream infections through CVC may
extend the duration of the ICU stay, with subsequent increase in risk of mortality and also result in
additional health care costs.
Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate current practices associated with the nurses’ care
and maintenance of CVC. Self-reported practice is compared to the CDC’s Guidelines for Prevention of
Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections.
Method: A cross-sectional study with descriptive design was used, and data was collected though a
self-developed questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to 390 nurses in six ICUs in
Norway. The response rate was 52.4%.
Results: There were two areas that proved to be consistent with the CDC’s guidelines. The first area
consisted of replacement of the administration set within 24 hours, for parenteral nutrition. The
second was the type of dressing used at the insertion site. Self-reported practice shows a wide
variation in practice regarding the duration of administration set use for standard and propofol,
administration set connection technique and dressing frequency.
Conclusion: The study shows that practices associated with the care and use of CVCs are diverse
and aligned to varying extents with CDC's guidelines.