What should a nurse do first if a client's central venous catheter accidentally becomes disconnected?

Clamp the catheter.
If a client's central venous catheter accidentally becomes disconnected, the nurse should stop any infusion immediately and clamp the catheter. The nurse has to change the IV extension before restarting the catheter.

Calling the physician, applying a dry sterile dressing to the site, telling the client to take and hold a deep breath are not the right things to do at this time. Clamping the catheter and restarting the central venous catheter is part of nursing management.

Clamp the catheter.-rationale: if a central venous catheter becomes disconnected, the nurse should immediately apply a catheter clamp. if a clamp isnt available, the nurse may place a sterile syringe or catheter plug in the catheter hub. after cleaning the hub with alcohol or povidone-iodine solution, the nurse must replace the i.v. extension set and restart the infusion. calling the physician, applying a dry sterile dressing to the site, and telling the client to take a deep breath arent appropriate interventions at this time.client needs category: physiological integrityclient needs subcategory: basic care and comfortcognitive level: applicationreference: smeltzer, s.c., and bare, b. brunner & suddarths textbook of medical surgical-nursing, 11th ed. philadelphia: lippincott williams & wilkins, 2008, p. 1197.