After Tunneled Central Line Catheter Placement

You had a procedure to place a tunneled central line catheter. A tunneled central line catheter is a special type of intravenous (IV) line that is placed into a large vein in your chest.  The catheter is a long, thin, flexible tube that is tunneled under your skin and then placed into the vein.  You may hear this type of line called a Central Line, Groshong®, Hickman®, an Apheresis Catheter or a Power Line. 

The line is used to deliver medication or nutrition directly into your bloodstream.  As you recover, follow the instructions below.

Activity

• Sit upright for 4 hours after the procedure.

• Avoid strenuous activity and lifting anything 10 pounds or more with the arm on the side your catheter for 2 weeks.

Home Care

• Do not get your incision wet.

• Keep the incision site clean and dry. Take a tub bath unless the catheter was placed in your leg. If the catheter is in your leg, take a sponge bath until the catheter site heals.

• Don’t swim, bathe, or do other activities that cause water to cover the insertion site.

• If you take medicine to thin your blood, ask your health care team when it is safe to start taking it again.

• Change the dressing on the top neckline every 3 days until the sutures are removed.

• Sutures are removed 10-14 days after the procedure.

• Do not use any lotions, creams, oils, powders or ointments on your incision site or on your head and neck area.

If you received anesthesia or any type of sedation, follow these instructions for the first 24 hours after the procedure.

• Do not drive or operate heavy machinery. You will need someone else to drive you home.

• Do not drink any alcohol.

• Do not make any important decisions or sign legal documents.

• Have someone stay with you.

Catheter Care

• A home health nurse will change the dressing every 7 days.

• If the dressing becomes loose, dirty, or wet, call the home health nurse right away so the dressing can be changed.  Do not remove the dressing.

• The home health nurse will change the injection caps one time per week.  Do not touch the ends of the line when the caps are off.

• Always wash your hands, put on gloves, and clean the end caps before using the end cap.

• Keep the ends of the catheter taped to your chest to prevent pulling.

• Flush the line every time it is used with 20 cc of saline and 1.5 cc of Heparin lock flush.

• Flush the lumens every 24 hours with 10 cc of saline and 1.5 cc of Heparin lock flush.

When to seek medical care

Call your health care provider right away if you have any of the following:

• Fever of 101°F (38.3°C)

• Chills

• Bleeding, bruising or swelling at the catheter insertion site

• Signs of infection at the catheter site (pain, redness, drainage, burning, or stinging)

• A racing or irregular heartbeat

• The catheter falls out, breaks, cracks, leaks, or has other damage

• The catheter cannot be flushed or blood cannot be removed