Central line care: Change dressing every seven days, or when visibly soiled or compromised.

• A. Daily
• B. Every seven days, or when visibly soiled or compromised
• C. Weekly
• D. Monthly

Answer: (B)

The key idea is maintaining a clean, intact barrier around the catheter while minimizing unnecessary handling of the site. Dressings are changed to keep the site dry and inspect for signs of infection, but not more often than needed. For most central line dressings that are transparent, the recommended interval is at least every seven days, with immediate change if the dressing becomes damp, soiled, loose, or otherwise compromised. This approach reduces manipulation of the line—which can introduce infection—while still protecting the catheter site. Daily changes are usually excessive and can increase infection risk through unnecessary disturbance; changing only monthly is far too infrequent and risks undetected problems. If a gauze dressing is used, it’s typically changed more often (often every 2 days) per protocol, but the principle remains: change when necessary for integrity or sooner if compromised.