These instructions for preventing infections are for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) patients with a central line.

Your child’s central line is a very important part of the treatment that they need. We take central line care very seriously at CHOP. If your child has a central line, they may be more likely to get an infection. Patients, family members, visitors and staff should follow these steps to prevent an infection.

Instructions for infection prevention with a central line:

• Speak up for clean hands! We ask both staff and families to follow these guidelines:
  • Soap and water should be used for handwashing:
    • If hands are visibly soiled.
    • After coming into contact with stool or vomit.
    • Before eating.
    • After using the bathroom.
    • After handling hazardous medicines.
  • Hand sanitizer is preferred at all other times as a quick and effective method for cleaning hands when used appropriately.
• Every day while in the hospital, your child must:
  • Complete special bathing:
    • Babies who are premature (born before they are 37 weeks old) will be bathed with comfort cloths three times a week.
    • If your child is not premature, or once they are older than 37 weeks, they will receive a daily CHG treatment.
      • If your child has a soap and water bath or shower in addition to the CHG treatment, this should happen just before the CHG treatment.
      • The CHG treatment needs to be performed each day. This should happen within 24 hours of the last CHG treatment to provide the most protection.
    • Put on a clean gown or clothing and change if what they are wearing becomes dirty. Babies may be dressed in only a diaper.
    • Change bed linens with the bath.
      • This includes washing blankets, pillows and stuffed animals from home if your unit permits them.
  • Brushing with toothbrush and toothpaste twice a day is recommended for all children with teeth. Some children may also be asked to clean their mouth with special solutions more frequently. Your child’s care team will partner with you to ensure your child receives the right oral care.
• Protect the central line:
  • Try to minimize the line dragging on the ground (including tubing).
  • Don’t pull on the central line tubing.
  • Prevent playing with or chewing on the central line.
  • Keep the central line and tubing away from food, drinks, diapers, urinals, g-tubes or ostomies.
    • Learn more about AquaGuard to protect central line catheter caps and IV tubing.
    • Learn more about VALGuard™ to protect central line catheter caps and IV tubing.
  • Never disconnect the IV tubing.
  • Don’t touch the central line dressing and inform the nurse if dressing is loose.
• Make sure your room is cleaned by Environmental Services every day.
  • We can work together to keep the room uncluttered so that it can be cleaned.
  • For patients in the NICU: Do not bring in items like stuffed animals or decorations that can get dusty and increase the risk of infection.

What to expect the healthcare team will do to help prevent a central line infection:

• Clean hands prior to touching the central line. There will be times when staff are required to wear gloves when touching the line.
• Scrub central line connections for 15 seconds and let it dry for 15 seconds with each entry.
• Clean the patient’s skin with an antibacterial solution during a dressing change or port access.
• Make sure that everyone in the room wears a mask during a dressing change or port access.
• Make sure that the patient has a daily CHG treatment, linen and clothing change all at the same time.
• Make sure that daily mouth care (such as toothbrushing) has been completed.
• Remove the central line when it is no longer needed.

Don’t be afraid to speak up! It is ok to ask your healthcare provider questions.

If you have any questions about your child’s health, please contact your child’s healthcare provider. This document is intended only to provide general educational information and is not intended as medical advice or treatment. Please consult with your healthcare provider prior to use, as some of this information may need to be adapted for your child’s specific needs. It is the responsibility of your healthcare provider to advise you on the appropriate use of this information. If you/your child are not already a CHOP patient, this document does not create a doctor-patient relationship between you/your child and CHOP. CHOP is not responsible for any outcomes you/your child might experience from your use of this document. This document is provided "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, express or implied. If this document refers to any drugs or medical devices, it is the responsibility of your healthcare provider to check the FDA status prior to use. If this document includes references to drug dosing, please do not rely on this document. Your healthcare provider should check the package insert for each drug before use. Hyperlinks used within this document may not be translated into other languages.

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