flush bags

[natawee]

I was wondering if there is any literature out there discussing whether or not hanging a flush bag with iv piggy backs is of benefit or harm to the patient. When I am priming lines for a patient who is to receive only IV piggybacks and not have continuous fluids running, I always hang a small 250ml bag of NS to prime the line. I find it beneficial as the whole med can run through and if you happen to have air in the line you can prime the NS back. Just wondering as we have a nurse who always throws out the flush bags and hangs the piggy back on a primary line. It's frustrating. Her reasoning is that renal patients do not need the extra fluid. Which I totally agree with, but she does it to all the patients lines. Not just the renal ones. Anyways this was more of a vent but I was wondering what your opinions are on the issue. Any links to support or otherwise on this topic would be very much appreciated!!

Thanks!!!

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

We hang IVPB's to gravity (unless contraindicated and then we use a pump) and use a small saline bag of NS with them all to run until you can get back to it and flush with 3 cc of NS. We don't need a doctor's order, it's protocol. Many years ago our educator told us this was because it keeps the IV from clotting off and saves more IVs. I don't have a resource though, and it could be just an old wives tale.

My first job we hung IVPGs to gravity straight to the IV site and if you didn't get there and it just hung empty until you flushed it.

I'm not sure which is better, would be interesting to find some data.

[garciadiego]

What is the point of using flush bags?

[RNview]

i was wondering if there is any literature out there discussing whether or not hanging a flush bag with iv piggy backs is of benefit or harm to the patient.

every facility has their own policy on this matter. where i work, we use 250 ml ns 5ml/hr with ivpb. with iv pushes meds, we flush the line with 2ml ns before and after, then sl the patient's iv.

for chf and renal failure patients, we use this cautiously and watch it closely. this is a very interesting question whether we use ns 250ml or just flush it with ns 2ml before and after when it comes to chf and renal patients (speaking of cost effectiveness). if we do that for these patients, why not for non-chf ones? i have to look at our policy book.

[RNview]

i am not a nurse...want to be some day though...and i was just in the hospital and i never got around to asking my nurses...why do you flush the line...like when i would get up to go to the bathroom i was disconected, line was flushed, they brought to the bathroom, broght me back to bed, flushed the line, reconnected me. is this what most hospitals do? just wondering.

we flush the iv line to prevent it from getting clogged.