Name two key components of central line hub care to reduce infection.

• A. Clean hubs with an antiseptic (chlorhexidine) prior to access and maintain sterile technique when accessing the line.
• B. Ignore hub cleanliness and reuse.
• C. Clean with plain water.
• D. Use alcohol-only cleaning without antiseptic.

Answer: (A)

Disinfecting the hub with an antiseptic before you access it, and using sterile technique each time you access the line, are the two key steps to prevent infection. Disinfecting the hub with an antiseptic such as chlorhexidine reduces the number of microbes on the surface, lowering the chance they’ll be introduced into the bloodstream when the line is accessed. Maintaining sterile technique—gloves, sterile equipment, and careful, minimal handling—prevents contaminating the hub and intraluminal space during connection or manipulation. Together, these steps address both the surface contamination and the access process, which are the main routes for catheter-related infections. Practices like skipping disinfection, reusing hubs, cleaning with plain water, or using alcohol-only cleaning without antiseptic don’t reliably prevent infection and increase risk.