Blood transfusions, pump or gravity

Does yor institution allow the use of pumps for transfusion, or do you have to hang it to gravity?

For some reason, I was unable to vote but in my facility we are allowed to use a pump. Of course there are the old school nurses who think it's "lazy" and not as good as the old way but I'm not convinced. I have limited resources and I believe in using whatever conveniences I can.

I was surprised to find that my hospital uses gravity, which kinda made me nervous as we're on a tele floor with a lot of CHF'ers.

Never ever heard of using GRAVITY to infuse blood....ever. I cannot imagine doing so. wow i am naive i guess.

I asked why, and someone said that the cost of the pumps was the reason.

Oh, (slap!) of course!

For years we were only allowed to use gravity to infuse blood, something about the red cells being macerated. However since we started using Gemini pumps quite a few years back (showing my age now lol) we always use pumps, using a blood giving tubing set. Sure is safer and easier.:)

P.S. Still giggling, kewl, at the option of sick and tired of these polls!

I am of the "new school" nurses, I guess - the first hospital I worked in used pumps and sets - the one I'm at now uses gravity which kinda freaks me out, but that's just the OCD in me :). Better believe I watch close either way!

hmm.... we're not allowed to use a pump in my facility.... then again... the pumps are older than I am...

--Barbara

In our ER, we run blood by gravity. We're allowed to run it via pump if we want, but pumps are scarce-- we run everything via gravity except of course titrated gtts, heparin, etc. It's easier for me to just do gravity rather than run all over the ER looking for a pump. The floors HATE when we send up a pt with blood via gravity- but you should be watching that pt closely regardless, so....

Gravity only in a "squeeze it in as fast as it will go" situation. (Perhaps it's more like gravity+). Much less stressful to us a pump!

Blood: pump or gravity?

Well, that depends.............

HOW DEAD IS THE PATIENT?

Pump for the nice lil' pump up their crit kinda things, gravity for the last ditch effort omg-they're-croaking-on-the-table kind of thing.

I have always used a pump, even before there was blood tubing. Hb. always increased after a unit of blood despite everyones dire predictions all the RBC' s were going to rupture. I recall 20 years ago using a dial a flow when I couldn't find a pump.

And one of my pet peeves is a nurse who is "sure" it is better to let it run in by gravity and it is all in in forty minutes or .......... 5 hours later , the bag is still 1/2 full and they're whining.

I've seen my share of pt's in acute congestive heart failure because some lazy nurse was too lazy to go get a pump and her blood has infused in 30 minutes....these are the same one 's who infuse 2 units back to back, asap on 85 year olds....2 units in 3 hours... "but his hb WAS 8 !!!.........