Procedural Videos

[EMEddie]

Are any of you familiar with possible videos where it shows the role of the RN assisting the doctors with central line, arterial line placements?

I still get kind of confused on the steps to follow, what to give the doctor once he gets in "there" with the pt.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[aei631]

It's probably easier to observe another nurse helping with a line than it is to find a video.

For any procedure you know you'll need to be the one to touch anything that is not sterile. You need to know if you are responsible for having supplies or if the Dr is bringing what he needs, and by this I mean his or her sterile gloves, procedure kit, ultrasound if needed, etc.

For a central line you need to have your line caps ready as you will be the one to put those on, and have a dressing ready. Everything else is usually done by the dr. They should prep their site, drape the pt appropriately, etc. If they choose to use ultrasound guidance then you will need to help them get the probe into its sterile cover. Central lines mostly just require a nurse to babysit the Dr, make sure they aren't excessively sticking the pt, jabbing around, and for goodness sake keep an eye on the guide wire. (I work at a teaching hospital so we have to babysit, not so much for someone working with experienced drs)

For an arterial line you need to have your transducer set up and connected to your monitor ready to go. All you should have to do for an arterial line will be to attach the tubing to the catheter once the dr has it in, and dress the site.

This is of course dependent on your facilities line kits. Ours include all necessary needles, numbing agents, etc.

Hope that helps!