National survey of central venous catheter flushing in the intensive care unit.
BACKGROUND
Evidence is needed on the best solution for flushing central venous catheters.


OBJECTIVE
To understand current flushing practices for short-term central venous catheters among critical care nurses before implementation of a randomized, controlled trial comparing physiological saline with heparin solution for flushing to maintain catheter patency.


METHODS
A 6-item survey including demographic data was mailed to 2000 practicing critical care nurses in the United States. An additional 316 surveys were completed at the annual conference of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.


RESULTS
Most (71.5%) of the 632 respondents who completed the survey were staff nurses. Most respondents (64.6%; 95% CI, 60.86%-68.34%) reported using physiological saline exclusively to flush central venous catheters and maintain patency. For heparin-containing solutions, the concentration and volume used varied. The most commonly reported volumes for flushing were 10 mL for saline (63%; 95% CI, 59.18%-66.82%) and 3 mL for heparin (50.2%; 95% CI, 43.5%-56.9%).


CONCLUSIONS
Flushing practices for central venous catheters vary widely. A randomized controlled trial is needed to determine the optimal flushing solution to maintain short-term patency.
Carrie
C
Sona
Donna
D
Prentice
Lynn
L
Schallom
D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000451:nursing*; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D055318:Evidence-Based Nursing; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006493:Heparin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D057184:Practice Patterns, Nurses' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014481:United States; D014654:Vascular Patency
D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D006493:Heparin