Table 4
Insertion and management principles
| 1. Inserted by experienced staff (consultant or senior registrar) |
| 2. Aim to insert too far and pull back away from vessel walls |
| 3. Never leave a catheter where it does not easily and repeatedly withdraw blood during the insertion procedure |
| 4. ALWAYS inject with radio-opaque contrast for x ray examination |
| (if you don’t inject it, you don’t know where the tip is) |
| 5. Be actively injecting during x ray examination to see contrast coming from the end of the catheter |
| 6. Sterile technique for insertion, and for line changes (three times/week) |
| 7. No drug injections—catheter used for parenteral nutrition only |
| 8. Antifungal prophylaxis of oral and topical nystatin |
| 9. Cover insertion site with bio-occlusive dressing and leave undisturbed. No coils of catheter under dressing |
