Infusion Therapy: Central Venous Access Devices
Course Overview
This course is intended for nurses who access vascular devices in all healthcare settings. The purpose of this course is to enhance nurses’ knowledge and clinical skills in the management of central vascular access. Central venous access plays a vital role in the administration of medications, fluids, nutrition, and blood products, as well as in hemodynamic monitoring and long-term therapies. Safe and effective management of these devices is essential to ensuring positive patient outcomes and preventing complications. This course will explore the anatomy and physiology relevant to central venous access, types of central vascular devices (including peripherally inserted central catheters, tunneled catheters, implanted ports, and non-tunneled central lines), and current evidence-based practices for insertion, care, maintenance, and troubleshooting. Emphasis will be placed on infection prevention, catheter patency, dressing changes, and recognizing early signs of complications such as occlusion, thrombosis, and catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs).
Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of this course, the learner should be able to:
- Analyze CVAD insertion in relation to venous anatomy.
- Differentiate among four categories of CVADs.
- Compare four key features of CVADs.
- Evaluate factors that influence CVAD selection.
- Analyze the elements and effects of the central line bundle.
- Evaluate assessment parameters for CVADs.
- Justify each aspect of postinsertion CVAD management, including site care, dressing changes, securement, and maintenance of patency.
- Evaluate safe practices in implanted vascular access port management.
- Analyze the risks and benefits of blood sampling from
CVADs for laboratory studies. - Differentiate safe practices for removing peripherally inserted central catheters and non-tunneled CVADs.
- Differentiate signs and symptoms of various VAD-related complications.
- Evaluate risk factors that place patients at increased risk of complications.
- Analyze strategies for preventing complications.
- Evaluate appropriate interventions to employ when complications occur.
About the Author/Presenter
Lisa Gorski, MS, RN, HHCNS-BC, CRNI, FAAN, has worked as a clinical nurse specialist in home health since 1985. She currently works for Wheaton Franciscan Home Health and Hospice in Milwaukee, WI. She is the author of more than 40 published journal articles and books and frequently presents on infusion therapy-related topics across the country and internationally. Her primary areas of expertise include infusion therapy, home care, and care of chronically ill adult patients. She served as the 2007-2008 president of the Infusion Nurses Society, is an editor for the INS textbook Infusion Nursing in Clinical Practice: An Evidence-based Approach and served as the chairperson of the 2011 and 2016 INS Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice Committee. She is currently the chairperson for the Infusion Nurses Certification Corporation Board of Directors and serves on the editorial board for Home Healthcare Now. Ms. Gorski was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2006 and was awarded the CNS of the Year award in 2011 by the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists.
Audience/Accreditations and Approvals
TRC Healthcare/ NetCE
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by TRC Healthcare/ NetCE. TRC Healthcare/NetCE is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
This course is designed for the following healthcare professions (select your profession for details):
Nursing
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