Image showing the correct placement of a central line

dvm360: Registered Vet Tech Outlines How to Place and Maintain a Central Venous Catheter

By Jenn Bench, RVT, VTS (ECC), T-CCFP

Central venous catheters (CVCs) are critical tools in veterinary care, providing reliable vascular access for fluid therapy, medication delivery, parenteral nutrition, and repeated blood sampling in critically ill patients. While their use can be essential to patient survival, introducing a catheter into central circulation carries greater risks than peripheral catheterization. Potential complications include catheter-related bloodstream infections, thrombotic events, and mechanical issues such as malposition or vessel injury. To minimize these risks, strict aseptic technique and meticulous catheter management are required throughout placement, maintenance, and removal.

This review outlines the key indications, contraindications, necessary supplies, and a step-by-step approach to safe and effective CVC use in veterinary medicine.

Step 1: Perform proper hand hygiene

Step 2: Don non-sterile gloves

Step 3: Place the animal in the preferred recumbency

The restrainer wears non-sterile gloves
Measure distance from the intended insertion site to the desired placement
- Jugular vein:
  - Insertion site to the thoracic inlet
  - The tip of the catheter should lie within the thoracic inlet, just cranial to the right atrium
- Lateral/medial saphenous veins:
  - Insertion site to the last rib
  - Caudal Vena Cava

Step 4: Perform a wide clip of fur using a clean #40 clipper blade, centered on the intended venipuncture site

Ensure area is large enough so no part of the catheter, including suture, will be within the patient’s fur
Avoid unhealthy skin

Step 5: Clean the area with gauze soaked in chlorhexidine scrub

Must be thorough but gentle when scrubbing the area, as abraded skin will support colonization of pathogenic bacteria
Do not clean the same place twice with the same gauze
Clean residual scrub from skin with alcohol to prevent dermatitis
Do this procedure again, alternating between scrub and alcohol 2 times
DO NOT touch the insertion site after preparation

This article originally appeared on dvm360.com on October 1, 2025, as part of Thrive Pet Healthcare's Strategic Alliance with dvm360.

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About Jenn Bench, RVT, VTS (ECC), T-CCFP

Jenn Bench discovered her passion for veterinary emergency and critical care while completing her externship at a specialty emergency and critical care hospital during her time at the Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology in Aurora, Colorado. After earning her Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) credentials, she pursued and achieved her Veterinary Technician Specialty (VTS) in emergency and critical care.

In her current role as the regional director of education and development for ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospitals, a Thrive Pet Healthcare facility, Bench is dedicated to mentoring and training support staff, veterinary technicians, and doctors. She finds great fulfillment in education, with a particular passion for training CPR. Jenn is also a certified compassion fatigue professional, advocating for mental wellness and resilience in veterinary medicine.