Infusion port comes off and line open to air

[mesa14]

I know what to do if you come in and a central line cap has come off, but I'm not sure about an infusion port- is there a cap that will fit on this, do you flush it, put then on their left side in trendelenburg's position?

Thanks for helping me out,

Melissa

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

if the infusion port (such as a port-a-cath) has been accessed and the iv line develops an opening, yes, you need to prevent an air embolism from getting into the patient. if the port is not accessed, there is no danger of this happening.

yes, you cap the opening immediately to prevent any further air from getting into their vascular system. yes, you get the patient turned to their left side in trendelenburg position asap to trap any air in the apex of the heart. i would be extremely careful about any flushing especially if there is a possibility of any air in the catheter--you will be pushing more air into the patient. i would attempt to aspirate blood from the catheter first and upon aspiration of air and blood, then flush the catheter.

see central line weblinks and complication care on post #5 of this sticky thread in this forum: https://allnurses.com/nursing-student-assistance/any-good-iv-127657.html - any good iv therapy or nursing procedure web sites