Nursing Students General Students
Published Jun 2, 2007
srg4784
123 Posts
I've watched one nurse remove an IV then I was asked to do one today (we don't do IV therapy until 5th semester @ school)....so after I got all the tape off and withdrew it all that came out was a catheter and rly no bleeding at all. When I observed the nurse remove one there was a lot of bleeding and a needle was removed. I asked the nurse should or shouldn't there be a needle with this IV...it was hep-lock by the way...and she wasn't sure:uhoh3: so all day I've been worried if I somehow left a needle in the client. I didn't feel anything hard around the site like what I'd expect a needle to be and when I asked someone else they just looked at me like I was dumb so after two looks like that I just felt really stupid. The PCS was super busy since there was only two nurses on the floor today so I never even found time to ask them and when I observed the site later on still no bleeding on the gause and no swelling or redness so I figured it was okay. I did tell the oncoming tech about this and left a sticky note for the PCS on her door to check it ASAP. Is this normal, should there or shouldn't there have been a needle removed?
nurseangel47
594 Posts
It's okay, srg. That would have been the catheter portion contained within the actual needle device itself. When inserted into the vein, the needle is withdrawn, the catheter stays inside. Pretty nifty, huh? LOL Don't feel worried over this anymore. You did fine. Some folks bleed not a drop, others like a rivulet! Depends on their individual bleed times, meds they're on, etc.
ukstudent
805 Posts
Most IV's no longer have a needle left in a pt. So more than likely there was no needle for you to take out. It is also normal for a hep-lock site not to bleed or to bleed very minimally. If you have a clinical instructor with you, you should ask him/her any questions you have. I am sorry that no one took the time to teach you then and there, and left you wondering and worried.
WHEW lol, thank you both. I've been calling back to work and still can't get up with the PCS to see if she checked the site. Lol
We don't do anything with IVs except monitor the sites in clinicals until 5th semester ....this happened on the job, I'm an extern!
Charlottetack
11 Posts
ALWAYS Check the site!!!!!!! The needle could be there or the catheter could break off. it is good you thought about that when you were removing the IPAD!!!
BWSPN
26 Posts
You could also go back and check the documentation for when the IV was inserted.
JaneyW
640 Posts
It is also always good to document that the tip of the catheter was intact when removing the IV. This requires checking the site and makes it clear in documentation. I have never seen a modern IV with an actual needle--just a catheter. As another poster pointed out, the catheter stays and the needle is removed right after insertion. However, I only really work with quick-caths. I'm sure there are many others out there! I'm sorry no one took the one minute to explain that to you on the floor. I hope your overall experience has been better!
Tweety, BSN, RN
34,348 Posts
Agree with the above, you can relax.
:)
Daytonite, BSN, RN
1 Article; 14,604 Posts
srg4784. . .I was an IV therapist for many years. I don't want you to worry about this. You did nothing wrong. There is nothing wrong with the patient. There are two possible reasons that a patient does not bleed when an IV catheter is removed:
Anticipating your third question, will the swelling heal and what will happen to this lump of biological slime if it is present? Again, don't worry. The minute a foreign body is removed the inflammation response begins to reverse itself. As for that lump of biological slime, it is absorbed into the body over time. There is no danger of blood clots forming around them. Keep in mind that this is a peripheral vein. The blood pressure in them in nothing compared to the blood pressure in the deeper veins.
Now that you know the answer to your question. Go out and inform the world and I don't want to hear anything about you losing any sleep over this tonight. The patient is going to be just fine.
Oh, by the way, that person who looked at you like you were dumb when you were asking your questions did that because they didn't know the answers. The look on their face was covering up their own ignorance.
WDWpixieRN, RN
2,237 Posts
Wow Daytonite!! Thanks again for the very informative reply!! That's a bunch of information that they certainly don't teach in NS while teaching how to insert and dc the darned things!! It's great the things you can learn from this site while on summer break!!
:flowersfo
Thanks again Daytonite...as always, I was hoping you would see my thread :).
smk1, LPN
2,195 Posts
THe needle is removed after insertion and only the plastic catheter is left in place, so as long as that came out then you are fine. This might have been an old IV site and the patient may not be on any anticoagulants so that would account for the lack of blood.