I'm beginning to think I'm "IV challaged"....eek

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hi folks,

Just wanted to vent about my horrible IV night....well..I guess I'm over reacting a bit....it was one person. Anyways....about 3 minutes before report....my patient says "my hand feels funny" and sure enough...his IV is infiltrated. Well...I get out my little kit...find an awesome vein...get in right away...but then try to advance it further....and couldn't get it thread...ended up blowing the vein. Geesh..what's wrong with me.....it was a huge beautiful vein....I am so stupid. Anyways...the ER tech. comes along and with my supervision...get's the thing right in....boy..does that make a gal feel stupid. I guesss working all nights....I don't really start that many IV;s......but....I just feel like I should be better at it. I seem to have good and bad streaks. I guess I'll just keep thinking of all the iv's I have gotten in...sometimes hard ones.... I don't know why it makes me feel so stupid...but it does. The patient is a cancer patient...who has been thru chemo...so I'm thinking maybe the vein I chose was sclerotic or something. I'm thinking maybe I'll switch to our newest catheters....they are the safety ones but they have the little butterfly wings on them...and then you pull the end straight out when your done and the needle is inside the telescopy thing.....I wish I could think of the name of them...anyways..anyone familiar with them?? I think our old ones (also safety) are awkward for me....if I hold on up near the end of the needle...the little plastic piece always slides back on me...hence covering the needle. Ok....enough...just wanted to vent.... I guess I just need to realize that there I have many other good qualities..and not to dwell on this little IV thing...ok..I'm outie..luv ya all...:kiss

Well..apparently my spelling is challenged as well.......

CHALLENGED......IS THAT RIGHT????? lol:chuckle

SORRY FOLKS :)

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

I have days when I get a person that the entire day shift missed. Other times I miss persons with ropes for veins. No rhyme or reason.

When I was a new grad I got the first IV I ever started. Then I proceeded to miss the next 50 or so sticks I tried. Was very discouraging. Now people ask me to start IVs for them. The point is to keep at it no matter how many times you miss. I hate working with nurses who won't even try, not once, not any patient.

When I was in the hospital I'd have good and bad streaks too. I'd be good for ages, but once I missed one, I'd miss at least 2 more before I'd be back on track (they came in 3's?).

When I was doing IVs in homecare we started using these funky safety needles to start our IVs with, might be the same as what you use or similar? I nearly always messed them up because the safety would engage before I had threaded the cath. It was the way I held it......we started using another type, wish I could remember the name (I am not in the field anymore) and it was sooooo much better, I *never* missed. So maybe try switching to the newer ones? It may be just the trick....worth a shot anyway.

Originally posted by IloveSnoopy

Hi folks,

...his IV is infiltrated. Well...I get out my little kit...find an awesome vein...get in right away...but then try to advance it further....and couldn't get it thread...ended up blowing the vein. ....I don't really start that many IV;s......but....I just feel like I should be better at it. I seem to have good and bad streaks. I guess I'll just keep thinking of all the iv's I have gotten in...sometimes hard ones.... I'll switch to our newest catheters....they are the safety ones but they have the little butterfly wings on them...and then you pull the end straight out when your done and the needle is inside the telescopy thing.....I wish I could think of the name of them...anyways..anyone familiar with them??

I'm going to have to agree with everyone else. There are days I can't hit the broad side of a barn. All nurses have this problem from time to time. Then there are the days I just can't seem to miss anything. Here's a tip that's worked for me on numerous occasions. When you start the line and you know (flashback) your in but barely and you need to advance some distance which is still giving you trouble and you don't really want to push the needle in any farther. I retract the needle then place the flush on the end of the catheter and carefully advance the catheter while slowly pushing in the flush. It tends to open the vein up a little wider enabling the catheter to advance a great deal easier and helps to open up any valves that may be in your way. It's worked great for me over the years. Give it a shot snoopy what do you have to lose.

That post reminded me of when I was a phlebotomist. Most days I got everyone (and we had around 50-60 patients a day to draw from), but I would have days when I'd have a hard stick almost from the bat, and it would mess up my day and I'd have several "can't gets" that day. Some of them the vein would feel perfectly good but you stick the needle in and nothing. Expecting this starting IV's too after I get out of school. Tonya

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