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4. Carefully remove the old dressing, starting from the top of the
dressing and working downward. Remove the tape or dressing
carefully to avoid irritating your skin or pulling on the catheter.
Caution: Do not use scissors or any sharp-edged instruments as they
could damage the catheter.
5. Wash your hands again.
6. Do a careful observation of the exit site and the skin around it. If you
notice anything unusual,
finish
the dressing procedure and then call
your doctor.
7. If you are instructed to use gloves, put on the pair of sterile gloves
following the procedure you were taught.
Be careful to not touch anything except the supplies being used
for site care.
8. Carefully clean the catheter
exit site with an alcohol
swabstick or sterile
cottontipped applicator,
soaked in hydrogen peroxide,
starting at the exit site and
spiraling outward until
a circle at least 8 cm in
diameter, has been cleaned.
Do not return to the catheter
exit site with a swabstick that
has touched any skin away
from the exit site.
9. Repeat this step twice using the other two swabsticks. Look at
the color of the swabsticks after you have used them for signs of
drainage.
