Need help please with stopcocks

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

Yesterday was my first day of clinical orientation on a unit. With all the experience I'd had as a tech on a SICU, I really expected better performance out of myself. Honestly, I think I was all thumbs and no brain. Specifically I have a problem with stopcocks. There seems to be four different positions they can be put in. I can figure out the "off" one but never really know what is on to where because "off" is the only one identified. Is there an easy way to remember?

[suzanne4, RN]

With the three-way, it is open to both receiving ports when it is in the down position, and you have openings at west, north, and east. If you only want one of the fluids running, then you turn the stopcock handle so that it is in the off position over the port that you do not want running.

If you have a stopcock on the a-line or the CVP port, you will always turn it off to the patient when you are zeroing your lines. For IV fluids infusing, it will depend on which that you wish to infuse at the time. You can also infuse both, by turning the stopcock to the down position, or south.

Hope that this helps.................

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

Cool! Thanks Suzanne. You've never let me down.

[suzanne4, RN]

You are quite welcome.................

[CardioTrans, BSN, RN]

The way I always remembered it was "which ever way the semi-pointed end was pointing"..... that was what was off.