Re: Blood draw from IVs?
I hate to be a butthead, but please allow me to refocus the discussion to what I intended it to be:
Please, if anyone has scholarly research or any supporting documentation from a professional organization, I would appreciate (somehow) being given that. I know that many, if not most, hospitals/etc draw blood from IVs, and I personally love to do so, but personal debate is not what I started this thread is for.
I haven't seen the documentation that the ED manager has -- I'm actually a "travel nurse" (living about 2.2miles from the hospital, LOL) soon to be a PRN staff nurse... all I've been told is "We have found documentation saying that there is too much hemolysis causing abnormal and inaccurate lab values with blood draws from IVs, so now we are changing policy to drawing blood from separate stick."
I think it's stupid and it's probably because a lot of the nurses in the ED who have been there quite awhile are 20-22G IV starters, and I am more apt to put a 16 in if the patient has a huge garden hose of a vein, even if they don't really "NEED" the 16... if nothing else it's great access and not likely to blow or infiltrate! I know all of our personal arguments for/against as I've searched for this info on here and found a lot of personal opinion, but...
I am seeking anyone who has actual research/"official" documentation... something that our manager will look at and say, "Oh, ok... let me review that and maybe we will reconsider." I can't exactly print a 50-page thread from allnurses.com's most loyal members discussing their love of drawing blood off IV starts, and give it to her as evidence.
Again, thanks in advance if anyone can help with this.
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