What is the recommended practice for flushing and maintaining a central venous catheter during chemotherapy?

• A. Regular saline flushes before and after drug administration; use sterile technique and dressing care; avoid routine heparin unless protocol dictates.
• B. Use routine heparin flushes daily.
• C. Do not flush the catheter.
• D. Flush only at the end of treatment.

Answer: (A)

Saline flushing with strict sterile technique and proper dressing care keeps the central venous catheter patent and reduces infection risk. Flushing before and after drug administration clears residual chemotherapy from the lumen, helps prevent occlusion, and verifies that the line is ready for the next dose. Routine use of heparin flushes is not standard unless a specific protocol requires it, because heparin carries risks such as bleeding and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and can complicate treatment or monitoring. So the general, safest practice is saline flushes around drug administration plus meticulous aseptic technique and dressing care, reserving heparin only when the protocol dictates.