Help Section for External Central Catheters

Penn Home Infusion Team
University of Pennsylvania Health System
Last Modified: November 1, 2001

Problem	Possible Causes	What To Do
Fever of 100.5 or more and/or chills	Infusion too fast Catheter infection Other causes such as the flu, common cold	Call physician
Leaking fluid	Loose connection Hole in tubing	Check all connections and tighten. Replace tubing.
Weakness, nausea, or frequent urination	Blood sugar is too high Solution being infused too fast	Call physician
Sweating, nausea, headache, feeling of nervousness, blurred vision, shakiness, drowsiness	Blood sugar too low Stopping TPN to rapidly	Take some form of sugar (hard candy, honey, fruit, Juice) Call physician
Swelling of feet or ankles, shortness of breath while performing usual activity, weight gain 2 lbs or more per day	Retaining extra fluid	Call physician
Pump alarms	Varies with alarm	See alarm section for your pump
Sudden swelling in the shoulder or where catheter is located	Fluid being infused into skin, not in catheter	Stop infusion Flush and cap External Central Catheters Call physician
Pain, redness, or drainage around the catheter	Infection at catheter site	Call physician
Tubing becomes disconnected	Tubing not taped or secured properly	DON'T PANIC. Clamp the extension tubing tightly. If there is blood in the tubing, cap and flush the external central catheter with 2.5 cc of sodium chloride followed by 2.5 cc of 100 units/cc Heparin. Start again. If there is air in the tubing, turn off the pump, clamp the tubing as close to your body as possible, lie on your left side. Call physician.
Any unusual feeling or other physical symptoms	Various causes	Call physician.
Unable to flush external central catheters	Catheter is kinked Catheter has developed blockage Catheter may be up against wall of vein	Check to make sure catheter is not bent or kinked anywhere Change body position and try to flush If unable to flush, call physician. DO NOT FORCE FLUSH INTO CATHETER
Hole in catheter or tear in catheter	Repeated clamping on same spot of catheter Catheter was flushed with excessive pressure	DON'T PANIC Clamp catheter between your body and hole (tear) DO NOT FLUSH CATHETER Call physician