Central venous catheter removal: procedures and rationale

The use of central venous catheters (CVCs) has become fairly commonplace within both the hospital and community setting. The removal of these devices is often a task performed without much teaching and the procedure to follow is passed on from one nurse to another with little or no research on which to base actions. This article describes the potential complications associated with CVC removal and methods to prevent them. It will also give the nurse research-based procedures to follow when removing the various types of CVC. These written procedures should be used as a training guideline only. Practical training and supervision until competent is still required.