An IV question

Nurses General Nursing

Published

A couple of questions? :)

When you are putting in an IV, do you wash your hands first and wear gloves?

When you have gotten the needle in the vein, do you routinely let the vein/catheter sit there and bleed tons of blood out before you get the saline fastened on?

Thank you!

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a funny looking face!!:roll :chuckle

Hey,don't get personal,the webcams not even on!!!!! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Specializes in Anesthesia.

fab4fan, I am so glad you said it. I wanted to, but just wasn't feeling ballsy enough. I don't mean to be rude either, sick&pregnant, but man I hate questions like this.

Lou

Convicted of placenta previa & serving time on couch arrest ~ Day 22

Originally posted by ayemmeff

Hey,don't get personal,the webcams not even on!!!!! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

You said it...I didn't!:lol2:

I'm sorry........I didn't realize that nobody else could post here. I just don't know any nurses personally and I worry about catching stuff so I wondered if it was standard practice not to wear gloves.

The nurse that did this is one of my fave nurses......she is so sweet! I am definitely NOT going to try to get her in trouble or anything like that. She's one of the best nurses I've ever had....but this is the first time she's started my IV. Anyway.......sorry to intrude on your board.

...and you all wonder why the public's impression of nursing is so bad. Way to go, gave another one the wrong impression that we're all b*tches.

There could have been a more tactfull way to handle the situation. You all ever hear about the Private Messaging system here? Please consider that next time.

Non-nursing people aren't usually used to the "in your face" communication techniques of most nurses.

Sick&Pregnant...don't let these guys run you off. We're not all like that.

I never saw the memo that said ONLY NURSES. I thought everyone was welcome here....non-nursing and "PROFESSIONAL" alike.

Anne:nono:

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I am sorry, I am going to come off rudely here. But I worry about legalities and your health here. You know the answers to these questions, I believe. I find this highly inappropriate and useless to help you in your situation. I am no legal nurse consultant and I can't see how my answering the obvious here will help you. If you have such concerns on a personal level, I would kindly ask you address them in the appropriate direction. (of your choosing). I do wish you luck and hope your delivery and baby are healthy. But it sounds as if your case may be being mismanaged grossly on several levels, if your posts are accurate . If this is so, best to seek legal advice. I am sorry, but I can't help you here and feel at-risk doing so, really. Best to you.

Specializes in LDRP; Education.

Anne and Sick&Pregnant:

I think everyone here is scared of things like this. I usually don't answer posts like these. A few of us have been terminated due to things we've posted here. It's sickening.

As for the IV, I don't see anything wrong with what the nurse did. I wash my hands before entering a patient room so it's not always apparent to the patient I did so and I don't use gloves for an IV start as it impedes me. Sometimes my patients bleed "alot" sometimes they don't. You're not going to get an infection from this. It's a normal occurance with IV starts.

Sick&Pregnant, it seems alot of times you already know the answer to your own questions. If we had all answered that we start IVs just like your nurse did, would that qwell your concerns any more? If you have a concern with your care, address it with the nurse at that moment, so she can correct it or educate you or explain something, rather than asking a cyber nurse who is not licensed across states and not all of us are nurses anyway.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

And of course, ANY one is welcome here....nurses, non-nurses whoever. That is NOT the point of my post above. I just think you are looking the wrong direction for help in this case.

If you don't want to answer the person, then simply don't answer if you're afraid of the posts. What I was saying is....don't be catty to people like this.

SmilingBlueEyes handled it the way it should be handled.....courteously.

Susy, As far as not wearing gloves during an IV start...honey, that's not a risk I'm willing to take for myself. If that's what you do...then go for it! You're just putting yourself at risk.

You're a nurse and you're saying that 1. if you don't wear gloves and 2. the patient bleeds out.....that you're not at risk for an infection????

Hello! I watched a video in school about the first documented case of a nurse contracting HIV from a patient. She didn't wear gloves and the amount of patient's blood she got on her fingers was tiny. She had been gardening earlier and had some very small...nothin' to worry about...didn't feel 'em...didn't know they were there.....cuts on her fingertips. She contracted HIV and.......is not here to tell about it anymore. As you know....all patients ARE NOT TESTED for this. Not to mention Hep B.............

Anne

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

As an aside, to protect myself AND my patients AND coworkers, I observe UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS ALWAYS and WITHOUT FAIL! This incluses never touching anything wet that is not mine, whether it be blood, body fluids, breast milk....so this would include ALWAYS wearing gloves when doing IV starts, without fail. On newborns, on elderly and all between. It's a MUST, period, to preserve our health...and that of those we love and care about. NO compromises here.

Specializes in LDRP; Education.

Anne,

The patient was asking if SHE was at risk for infection. In my opinion, she was at no higher risk of infection than the normal risk you get with any invasive procedure.

Yes, it's a risk I take, but I have NEVER gotten any blood on my fingers as I occlude the vein while I'm connecting the tubing, and in addition, my patients HepB and HIV status are typically known -being pregnant and all. And I'm vaccinated against Hep B.

This is precisely why I don't answer these posts. All nurses practice differently and I know I am not the ONLY one who doesn't glove with IV starts. I've made it an art to do so without any blood loss at all and no pain to the patient. So let's not attack me for my choice in practice, shall we?

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