Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
An IV dressing is the sterile covering placed over the spot where an intravenous catheter enters the skin. Its job is to keep the insertion site protected and to help hold the catheter in place. The two basic choices in US infection-prevention guidance are sterile gauze with tape and a sterile, transparent, semipermeable film. Some film dressings also carry a chlorhexidine (CHG) gel pad. It is used by nurses, infusion and vascular-access teams and other clinical staff, and bought by the clinics and hospitals that supply them.
What an IV dressing is
CDC’s Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections tells clinicians to “use either sterile gauze or sterile, transparent, semipermeable dressing to cover the catheter site” (Category IA). So an IV dressing is not one product but a class: anything sterile that covers the site and meets that description. It sits over the catheter described in what is an IV catheter and is usually one of the components in an IV start kit.
How it is built
A transparent IV dressing is a thin film. CDC describes these as “transparent, semi-permeable polyurethane dressings” that “permit continuous visual inspection of the catheter site and require less frequent changes than do standard gauze and tape dressings.”
The US regulation for plain occlusive dressings (21 CFR 878.4020) describes the generic material: a nonresorbable device that covers a wound, supports a moist environment and lets gases such as oxygen and water vapor pass through, made of a synthetic polymeric material such as polyurethane, with or without an adhesive backing. That regulation excludes dressings with added drugs such as antimicrobial agents, so it does not describe CHG dressings. Gauze dressings are the other option; see what is gauze and what is medical tape.
Types of IV dressing
| Type | What CDC says about it | Key difference |
|---|---|---|
| Sterile gauze and tape | Acceptable to cover the catheter site (Category IA). Use gauze if the patient is diaphoretic or the site is bleeding or oozing, until that resolves (Category II). For short-term central venous catheter (CVC) sites, replace gauze dressings every 2 days (Category II). | The option CDC prefers when a site is bleeding or oozing. |
| Sterile transparent semipermeable film | Acceptable to cover the catheter site (Category IA). For short-term CVC sites, replace at least every 7 days, except in pediatric patients where the risk of dislodging the catheter may outweigh the benefit (Category IB). | Allows continuous visual inspection and needs fewer changes than gauze. |
| Chlorhexidine-impregnated dressing | Recommended for adults to protect the insertion site of short-term, non-tunneled CVCs, if it has an FDA-cleared label that specifies a clinical indication for reducing catheter-related bloodstream infection (Category IA). Not recommended for short-term non-tunneled CVCs in premature neonates because of the risk of serious adverse skin reactions (Category IC). | Adds a CHG-containing component to a film dressing; labeling decides where it may be used. |
The intervals above are written for central venous catheter sites. The CDC dressing section gives no replacement interval for peripheral IV catheters, so follow your facility policy and the dressing’s instructions for use for those. For tunneled or implanted CVCs, CDC says to replace transparent dressings no more than once per week, unless the dressing is soiled or loose, until the insertion site has healed (Category II).
Gauze or transparent: what the evidence shows
CDC reviewed the comparison and reports that a meta-analysis found the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infection “did not differ” between transparent and gauze dressings, and that “the choice of dressing can be a matter of preference.” In the largest peripheral-catheter trial it cites (about 2,000 catheters), colonization was 5.7% with transparent dressings against 4.6% with gauze, with no clinically substantial difference in colonization or phlebitis. Its one clear preference: “If blood is oozing from the catheter insertion site, gauze dressing is preferred.”
When to replace an IV dressing
CDC separates change triggers from change intervals. The trigger applies to any dressing: replace it if it becomes damp, loosened or visibly soiled (Category IB). Intervals are the scheduled changes listed in the table. The two matter differently, because a wet or lifting dressing no longer protects the site however recently it was applied. Our CLABSI prevention bundle guide covers how dressing changes fit into a hospital’s wider infection-prevention practice.
Safe use and handling basics
- Do not use topical antibiotic ointments or creams on insertion sites, except for dialysis catheters (Category IB).
- Do not submerge the catheter or site in water. Showering is permitted if precautions are taken, such as protecting the catheter and connecting device with an impermeable cover (Category IB).
- Check the site visually at each dressing change, or by touch through an intact dressing. If there is tenderness, fever without an obvious source or other signs of infection, CDC says the dressing should be removed to examine the site thoroughly (Category IB).
- Make sure site care is compatible with the catheter material (Category IB).
Common mistakes
- Applying a transparent film over a bleeding or oozing site, when CDC prefers gauze until it resolves.
- Leaving a damp, loosened or soiled dressing in place because its scheduled change is not due.
- Applying CVC intervals to every catheter, or the reverse. The CDC intervals are written for CVC sites.
- Assuming a CHG dressing is suitable for every patient. CDC does not recommend it for short-term non-tunneled CVCs in premature neonates and makes no recommendation for other patients under 18.
Where to find the supplies
Dressings, tape and related items are stocked in categories such as infusion supplies. For wider context on dressings, see what is a wound dressing, and for the catheters themselves see central venous catheters and PICC lines.
FAQ
What is an IV dressing used for?
It covers the catheter insertion site to protect it and help keep the catheter in place. CDC allows either sterile gauze or a sterile, transparent, semipermeable dressing.
Is a transparent dressing better than gauze?
CDC found no difference in catheter-related bloodstream infection risk between them and calls the choice a matter of preference, with gauze preferred if the site is oozing blood.
How often is an IV dressing changed?
Immediately if it is damp, loosened or soiled. For short-term central venous catheters, CDC says every 2 days for gauze and at least every 7 days for transparent dressings. It gives no peripheral IV interval in that section.
Sources
- CDC, Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections (2011, last updated October 2017), “Catheter Site Dressing Regimens”: https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/media/pdfs/Guideline-BSI-H.pdf. Date checked: 2026-10-29.
- 21 CFR 878.4020, Occlusive wound dressing: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-H/part-878/subpart-E/section-878.4020. Date checked: 2026-10-29.
