Flushing protocols for tunneled central venous catheters: An integrative review of the literature

(1) The flushing regimes for and associated practices related to tunneled c entral venous catheters (Hickman and Broviac) vary widely. Recommendations for flushing tunneled central venous catheters are abundant in the literatu re, but few are research-based. This manuscript describes the clinical prob lem and summarizes six research-based studies that appear in the literature . Practice recommendations based on this review include using 5 mL of 10 un it/ mL of heparin once or twice weekly. It is clear that additional prospec tive randomized studies are needed to elucidate the optimal flushing regime for patients with tunneled central venous catheters.