[k_cole21]

Hello All,

I'd just like to know if any of you L&D nurses have a hopsital wide IV team start your IVs? I'm used to starting my own IVs in L&D but do know of a place that the L&D nurses start no IVs. If you do start your own IVs do you draw lab with it or does lab draw for you?

Thanks

[hoppermom3]

We start our own and draw labs with the IV start. We always try to use a #18 gauge for labors, but will sometimes go with a #20 for antepartum pts.

[HappyNurse2005]

We start our own, 18gauge. Draw labs from iv start, but any subsequent labs, like on the antepartum patients, the lab draws

[eden]

We do our own IV's. The lab does most of the bloodwork but we can and do our own if the lab is unable or we need something sent stat. It seems like it would be a huge hassle to have to call the IV team or lab everytime you needed something. Sometimes it's just quicker to do it yourself.

[crissrn27]

L and D have the option to start their own, or call IV. I think they get two sticks, and then the have to call. If they get the IV they usually go ahead and draw the labs. Otherwise, lab draws them.

In nursery, we can't do our own IV's. IV team has to come up and do them, which can be a pain in a emergency. We do PKUs and BS, the rest of the labs are done be lab. If lab has a problem, we help them.

In PP lab and IV do all the labs and IVs, none of the nurses do either of these in PP.

[LadieRn]

We start our own IV's in L/D and SCN. If we are unable to start an IV then the IV team will come up and start one. The lab will come up and draw all labs for L/D and SCN.

[moongirl]

Originally Posted by HappyNurse2005

We start our own, 18gauge. Draw labs from iv start, but any subsequent labs, like on the antepartum patients, the lab draws

same here.

[LDRNMOMMY]

We start our own, and I try to draw labs at the IV start. We can call the IV team if it is a hard stick. We also try to place 18 gauges for labor.

[BeccaznRN]

We also start our own IVs, and we only use 18g. Since my hospital doesn't have an IV team, we rely on each other if we have a hard stick. If it's really bad, we call anesthesia (although that rarely happens).

Lab comes for all of our blood draws. If it's a scheduled section, I go in to start the IV when they are there to save the patient a second stick.

[landonsles]

We do our own IV's, as well as lab draws. But we cannot get our labs from IV site--for some reason the cannulas we use cause the labs to hemolyse. (Or so I have been told, and it really seems to be the case, b/c lab calls about every sample drawn from IV site)