[shodobe]

Please take them off of those ridiculous IVAC machines before sending to the OR. Most of the IVs I get from the floor do not run and we have no idea where the fluids went! We have to re-start about half of the IVs we get because they are kept on the IVACs up to the last moment and they have really no idea if it is patent and running well. It seems ALL patients are put on these and I really wished they would go back to the "old" days where you really had to keep an "eye" on your drips. I really feel old tonight, sorry. Mike

[stevierae]

Originally Posted by shodobe

Please take them off of those ridiculous IVAC machines before sending to the OR. Most of the IVs I get from the floor do not run and we have no idea where the fluids went! We have to re-start about half of the IVs we get because they are kept on the IVACs up to the last moment and they have really no idea if it is patent and running well. It seems ALL patients are put on these and I really wished they would go back to the "old" days where you really had to keep an "eye" on your drips. I really feel old tonight, sorry. Mike

LOL, so true--we have to disconnect them, leave them out in the hallway, and then change the tubing to our own tubing once we get into the room. I know, it seems that perfectly healthy patients with simple IVs of RL--no piggybacks; no additives to the primary--are put on pumps, rather than just adjusting the drip rate manually with the roller clamp. Just adjust it to KVO and leave it! We can turn it up once they arrive in the OR! But, then again, it seems like we always have to start another one anyway, as the primary is either posiitonal or it has been started with a 24 gauge catheter.

[ceecel.dee]

Yes, please, no pumps, and none of those narrow caliber IV loops or extentions that make the tubing lay down nice! These slow down the free flow so a rapid bolus cannot happen. We like at least an 18 gauge, but 20's are okay usually.

[IamRN]

As a GN I was spoiled in the Tele unit I started, we had IV Team. Then I transferred to nights, no IV team. Then I counted on more experience staff to start them for me, until one night I got tired of waiting and my little nursing home dehydrated unresonsive patient needed fluids yesterday! I gathered my equipment and got it on the first try! I have loved IV therapy since then. I plan on getting my certification soon.

I was flattered when IV team approached me w/a job offer...I couldn't take it because I was starting an ICU internship. They approached me because they started seeing my name on a lot of the IV sites (fellow nurses got tired of waiting for IV team and would ask me to do them) and some of them were known difficult sticks.

Just goes to show...you never know!

[MelissaRN]

I know on our floor when we have to run an IV the tubing we have has a filter that goes into the pump. You can't set it up to run manually. I know that we get a lot of post op patients where we have to change all the tubing over to set them up to the pump to run piggy back.

[armyrn]

we are having an opposite probelm, nurses on the floor running blood or potassium on pumps (and there are others, those just come to mind) and taking the pumps off prior to transfer. either running wide open or not at all. a little frightening, sometimes. oh, and IV should be 18 or at least 20 ga. gotta love the 24 ga in the AC!

[mcmike55]

For us, we start almost 100% of the IV's for surgery. We do it in our holding area. Many moons ago, the anes. people (doc and crna's) didn't want us to touch "their IV'S" BUT, over the years that has changed.
We also were taught to numb the sites with bacteriostatic NS, which helps in many cases.
The anes docs still do the hard ones, that we can't get. But I tell you, several of the nurses are very good at it.
As far as size of IV, I guess 18 is the standard, but we try larger if the case looks to be a bad on, 20 or 22 if a small child.
One anes. doc. says to get in what we can...he would rather have a good 20 in the arm, than a 18 or 16 in the trash can!!

[MelissaRN]

I've been working day surgery area where the patients go before the OR and I've really perfected my IV skills since being there. I've started more IV's in the last couple of weeks than I did for a year on the floor. LOL.