IN reviewing our practice around blood sampling we have always taught to scrub the hub for 15sec prior to putting on a new needleless connector. I do not see that step in the INS 2016 standards. Is that step necessary?
Thanks,
Allison Eustace MSN, RN, ACNS-BC
There is no standard about scrubbing the actual female hub of the VAD itself because there are no studies upon which to base such a standard. There will be dried blood, drug precipitate, and skin oils on this VAD hub and it is probably a good practice to clean it. However the concerns are introduction of this material and the antiseptic solution into the lumen, and many plastics used to make that hub are softened by alcohol. Check with the clinical department of the manufacturer of your VADs for any information they can share about this practice. At best, you must make sure the solution is completely dry before a new connector or administraiton set is attached. Otherwise, the new one could be permanently fused to the VAD hub.
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861