has anyone ever discharged a patient with their IV still in?

Nurses General Nursing

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I discharged a patient and forgot to d/c the IV. I feel like an idiot. Am I the only one?

I discharged a patient and forgot to d/c the IV. I feel like an idiot. Am I the only one?

No, but ONLY because every time I try to (well, forget they have an IV) the patient will say "Uhh, so...are you going to take this out before I go?"

Doh!

Specializes in geriatrics, IV, Nurse management.

Ironic.... had a patient return home with a port in... pssst...anyone I know responsible?;) haha

Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.

I haven't done the IV thing.

But this does remind me of something similar.

Before I became a nurse, I was a Registered Dental Hygienist. I had had a really busy day doing root planning and deep scaling-and it's very bloody. I was finishing up and sterilizing instruments etc, when I get a telephone call from my morning patient who wants to know how much longer he should keep these cotton rolls in his mouth.....?:confused:

I look at the Doctor (who happens to be my husband at the time) and we burst out laughing, I say with a straight face-"How long have they been in now?...oh, for 4 hours?...that's just perfect, wait another 15 minutes and then you may take them out"... :o

whoops

diva rn...former rdh:)

Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.
I forgot to deaccess a mediport once. Pt was being transferred to a SNF via transport service on a Friday, and was going for OP chemo on Monday. The SNF had no idea how to deaccess, so I called the MD who said to leave the mediport accessed and that way they wouldn't have to reaccess him on Monday. Thank God. The SNF was all the way on the other side of town and I really didn't want him to have to get transported back just to deaccess it.

In this case I wouldn't have bothered to deaccess. If it was going to be used a couple days later the dr can just write an order for outpt heparin flushes BID.

Specializes in ED ICU CICU.

There are 2 types of nurses. Ones that occasionally make mistakes and liars. Dont be too hard on yourself, chances are that you wont make the same mistake twice.

Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

I run a SNF. We are always getting patients from the hospital with IVs still in even though there are no meds to be given. We just take them out during our admission assessment. What irks me is when we get a patient who has been in the ICU and then to a regular and THEN to us and still has those nasty EKG lead pads still attached.

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