IV catheters

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So I have a question... I have places many secessful IVs but don't understand how the catheter doesn't puncture through the vein. When you advance the catheter and pull out the neddle the catheter just goes with the vein. I find this odd as the vein is not a sturdy structure, and those catheters are.

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So I have a question... is this homework?

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No... I am a RN

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Catheters are flexible and very bendy rather than being rigid like the needle is. I suggest taking one out of the package, look at how the device is put together, pull the catheter up off the needle, spin it around, retract the needle, and then feel and manipulate the catheter.....understanding how this device works will improve your IV insertion skills in my opinion.

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I don't have problems with IV insertion. And I have played with IVs. My question is rather the structure of the vein. Which I can't take out and play with... lol. I just wonder how the vein wall withstands puncture from the catheter. I know the catheter is less rigid than the needle but it still has some rigidity.

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Blood vessels have 3 layers, the tunica intima which is a single layer of smooth endothelial cells, the tunica media which is a thick layer of muscle responsible for contracting and relaxing (vasoconstriction) and tunica externa which has nerves and collagen.

When you puncture a blood vessel you aim to puncture all three layers but sometimes only the tunica externa or tunica media is punctured and the cannula can hang onto one or more layer. You can see this sometimes in ultrasound guided vascular access.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.
I don't have problems with IV insertion. And I have played with IVs. My question is rather the structure of the vein. Which I can't take out and play with... lol. I just wonder how the vein wall withstands puncture from the catheter. I know the catheter is less rigid than the needle but it still has some rigidity.

The catheter is in the vein, but it is in the hollow- the fluid-filled chamber. That fluid (blood) is the path of least resistance. Also, those plastic catheters become very soft once introduced in the warm environment of the vein and the needle is removed.

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Thank you

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I don't have problems with IV insertion. And I have played with IVs. My question is rather the structure of the vein. Which I can't take out and play with... lol. I just wonder how the vein wall withstands puncture from the catheter. I know the catheter is less rigid than the needle but it still has some rigidity.

Is this post for real or a joke???????

No... I am a RN

I hope this not the future of nursing. These nursing schools are pumping out "nurses" that have no critical thinking skills or common sense. Really, why can a stainless STEEL needle puncture a vein but not a piece of PLASTIC?

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The same way you can puncture your skin with a paper clip but not a plastic coffee stir straw. the catheter is also beveled (rounded on the end) and flexible.

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