Pushing flush too slow?

[Birdy2]

So the other night I was trying to flush a patients iv that had NS @75. I was giving morphine. So I flushed a little, gave the morphine slowly, then went to flush and was push/pausing it but it stopped flushing. It was fine and then all the sudden wouldn't push. I didn't move the iv, pushed the morphine slow like you're supposed to, and it just wouldn't flush. Then it started swelling up. It had infiltrated but I'm just wondering what I did wrong. The iv was obviously in before I gave the morphine but then it blew after I gave it. Some nurse told me I could have pushed it too slow. She said u can push it too fast and too slow but I don't understand. Can anyone explain this and what I did wrong?

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Nobody expects you to be a physicist but understanding the hows and why we do things is certainly important.

...which is the basis of critical thinking! Being able to take previously learned information and apply it to new situations. If we don't know the hows and whys of what we do, how are we expected to apply the information to new situations appropriately and safely?

[iluvgusgus]

I've never heard of doing push/pause for a PIV...that's usually for a PICC or CVL which needs more pressure to flush? Maybe that was too much pressure for the vein, she sounds like she had poor veins in the first place.

[0.adamantite]

I know this is off topic but in relation to the smaller syringe = more pressure, on some PICC lines it is dangerous to use anything less than a 10 cc syringe because the force generated could rupture the catheter.

[Birdy2]

Where I work and other hospitals that I did clinicals in they push/pause for any INTd Ivs