Blood transfusions, pump or gravity

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  1. Blood tx, pump or gravity

    • 39
      We use a pump
    • 26
      We use gravity
    • 3
      I'm tired of these stupid polls, quit posting them
    • 1
      What is a blood transfusion?

55 members have participated

Does yor institution allow the use of pumps for transfusion, or do you have to hang it to gravity?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.

For some reason, I was unable to vote but in my facility we are allowed to use a pump. Of course there are the old school nurses who think it's "lazy" and not as good as the old way but I'm not convinced. I have limited resources and I believe in using whatever conveniences I can.

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I was surprised to find that my hospital uses gravity, which kinda made me nervous as we're on a tele floor with a lot of CHF'ers. :eek:

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Never ever heard of using GRAVITY to infuse blood....ever. I cannot imagine doing so. wow i am naive i guess.

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I asked why, and someone said that the cost of the pumps was the reason.

Oh, (slap!) of course!

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For years we were only allowed to use gravity to infuse blood, something about the red cells being macerated. However since we started using Gemini pumps quite a few years back (showing my age now lol) we always use pumps, using a blood giving tubing set. Sure is safer and easier.:)

P.S. Still giggling, kewl, at the option of sick and tired of these polls!:D

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.

I am of the "new school" nurses, I guess - the first hospital I worked in used pumps and sets - the one I'm at now uses gravity which kinda freaks me out, but that's just the OCD in me :). Better believe I watch close either way!

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hmm.... we're not allowed to use a pump in my facility.... then again... the pumps are older than I am...

--Barbara

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma.

In our ER, we run blood by gravity. We're allowed to run it via pump if we want, but pumps are scarce-- we run everything via gravity except of course titrated gtts, heparin, etc. It's easier for me to just do gravity rather than run all over the ER looking for a pump. The floors HATE when we send up a pt with blood via gravity- but you should be watching that pt closely regardless, so....

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ER, L&D, ICU, OR, Educator.

Gravity only in a "squeeze it in as fast as it will go" situation. (Perhaps it's more like gravity+). Much less stressful to us a pump!

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Blood: pump or gravity?

Well, that depends.............

HOW DEAD IS THE PATIENT?

Pump for the nice lil' pump up their crit kinda things, gravity for the last ditch effort omg-they're-croaking-on-the-table kind of thing. ;)

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I have always used a pump, even before there was blood tubing. Hb. always increased after a unit of blood despite everyones dire predictions all the RBC' s were going to rupture. I recall 20 years ago using a dial a flow when I couldn't find a pump.

And one of my pet peeves is a nurse who is "sure" it is better to let it run in by gravity and it is all in in forty minutes or .......... 5 hours later , the bag is still 1/2 full and they're whining.

I've seen my share of pt's in acute congestive heart failure because some lazy nurse was too lazy to go get a pump and her blood has infused in 30 minutes....these are the same one 's who infuse 2 units back to back, asap on 85 year olds....2 units in 3 hours... "but his hb WAS 8 !!!.........

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