Insertion site dressings

Insertion Site Dressings

• Observe five moments of hand hygiene within the dressing procedure.
• Ensure that when applying a pleural catheter insertion site dressing that the tube does not become kinked.
• Ensure the tubing is anchored to the chest wall or abdomen using an appropriate method (statlock or omentum flap).
• Change the dressing at least 48 hourly and prn to keep the drain insertion site clean and dry.

Ensure each dressing applied to a pleural drain insertion site is:

• a key hole dressing /or other dressing that allows easy inspection of the tube exit site from the skin
• applied with the tube exiting from the centre of the dressing with only a small combine (if necessary) below the tube exit site to cushion the tube away from the patient if required
• not excessively bulky as this will prevent close observation and access to the drain site.