Flushing protocols for tunneled central venous catheters: an integrative review of the literature.
The flushing regimes for and associated practices related to tunneled central venous catheters (Hickman and Broviac) vary widely. Recommendations for flushing tunneled central venous catheters are abundant in the literature, but few are research-based. This manuscript describes the clinical problem and summarizes six research-based studies that appear in the literature. Practice recommendations based on this review include using 5 mL of 10 unit/mL of heparin once or twice weekly. It is clear that additional prospective randomized studies are needed to elucidate the optimal flushing regime for patients with tunneled central venous catheters.
Buswell
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Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. labuswell@bics.bwh.harvard.edu
Beyea
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