Who's good at IVs?

Nurses General Nursing

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majrn

57 Posts

Specializes in medical oncology and outpatient surgery.
Originally posted by nurse-lou

Hmm...that sounds a little complicated for me. One of the nurses on our IV team likes to use a bp cuff rather than a tourniquet. She says it makes the veins pop up better.

My IV skills have slipped as we switched from J&J ProtectIV's to BD Insytes! I hate the new ones! Can't get an IV to save my life now! Oh well.

nurse-lou, hang in there, I too hated insytes when we went to them. Like anything else it just takes practice to get the hang of em.

Thank you for all your replies... these are great tips!

sounds too simple to mention, but everyone's veins roll to a certain extent...go at a vein from the side, not the top...

otherwise, it comes from practice

gumby Rn

3 Posts

I am a psych nurse and we do our own blood draws and IV's. With practice it easy. I work with the elderly and dehydrated. When we get a younger person it's a given we can get their blood or start an IV.

Huq

75 Posts

I no longer try the visible veins if they are 'rolling'

Look at the straightened forearm and mentally measure exactly half way between the elbow and the wrist. Place your finger tip in the middle of the arm at this halfway mark. Move your finger tip half an inch to the left or the right and go for it, just remember to angle the needle slightly more than one would for a surface vein. We all have these two excellent veins. Once entered they last 'forever' with much less discomfort to the patient.

Takes courage the first few times, but you will be glad you did.

Huq

75 Posts

I suggest that anyone really interested in IV's join the INS (Infusion Nurse Society)

formerly Intravenous Nurses Society.

Just under $100.00 per year with an optional donation to the Gardner Foundation

http://www.ins1.org

Consider the CRNI Certification Examination and Recertification programs. Hard, but well worth it.

atownsendrn

163 Posts

For those really dehydrated healthy young people. You can always use two tourniquets. One up on the upper arm and one down on the forearm. Usually this will help something "pop up" But don't try this with little frail elderly people - you will definitely blow the vein.

Take advantage of every chance you get to start an IV, and people will eventually ask you to start them.

An example of this is there were two phlebotomists/medical assistants at my wife's endocrinologist. My wife's endocrinologist wanted two liters of saline ran, and after the medical assistants tag-teamining my wife for a lttle while her doctor just said dor my to do the IV. Here I was, two days post op and snowed on vicodin and various other medications, one that game me a tremor, and I put the IV in first try. That was the first IV I have started in about seven or eight years. If you need to, go to a plasma donor center and do some phlebotomy their for some experience.

mcg02

51 Posts

We have IV team where I work so, we just call them!!!!!!

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