Vascular access guidelines

To translate research into protocols for practice, guidelines are inevitable. Many countries have national vascular access related guidelines which can be used to develop protocols on a more local level. The goal of such protocols is to improve Evidendence Based Practice (EBP) and Standard Of Care (SOC). If your country does not have national guidelines, the guidelines presented below -in no particular order- can be used to establish national protocols. Please be aware that national law and regulations, as well as local circumstances, may differ, and have to be taken into consideration too.

Epic3: National Evidence-Based Guidelines for Preventing Healthcare-Associated Infections in NHS Hospitals in England
H.P. Loveday, J.A. Wilsona, R.J. Pratta, M. Golsorkhia, A. Tinglea, A. Baka, J. Brownea, J. Prietob, M. Wilcox
Journal of Hospital Infection 86S1 (2014) S1–S70

WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care
First Global Patient Safety Challenge Clean Care is Safer Care
ISBN 978 92 4 159790 6 (NLM classification: WB 300)
World Health Organization 2009

Standards For Infusion Therapy (5th edition, 2021)
Published by the Royal College of Nursing, 20 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0RN

Evidence-based criteria for the choice and the clinical use of the most appropriate lock solutions for central
venous catheters (excluding dialysis catheters): a GAVeCeLT consensus
Mauro Pittiruti, Sergio Bertoglio, Giancarlo Scoppettuolo, Roberto Biffi, Massimo Lamperti, Alberto Dal Molin,
Nicola Panocchia, Nicola Petrosillo, Mario Venditti, Carla Rigo, Enrico DeLutio
Journal of Vascular Access 2016; 17 (6): 453-464
DOI: 10.5301/jva.5000576

Strategies to Prevent Central Line–Associated Bloodstream Infections in Acute Care Hospitals: 2014 Update
Jonas Marschall MD, Leonard A. Mermel DO ScM, Mohamad Fakih MD MPH, Lynn Hadaway MEd RN BC CRNI, Alexander Kallen MD MPH, Naomi P. O’Grady MD, Ann Marie Pettis RN BSN CIC, Mark E. Rupp MD, Thomas Sandora MD MPH, Lisa L. Maragakis MD MPH and Deborah S. Yokoe MD MPH
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Vol. 35, No. 7 (July 2014), pp. 753-771
Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
DOI: 10.1086/676533

(AIUM Practice Guideline for the) Use of Ultrasound to Guide Vascular Access Procedures
2012 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine