ports

Originally posted by micky

requesting any info on your policy of using vacutainers on portacaths for blood draws. Is this exceptable? Please e-mail me directly @ [email protected] THANK YOU!!!

Yes you can use vacutainers on portacaths. However, this often doesn't work because they are often very positional. Meaning they don't draw well unless the patient moves a certain way or inhales and exhales deeply as you are trying to withdraw the blood. I don't even try to use a vacutainer because I want to be able to control the aspiration of blood in case the pac is positional. I use a 10 cc syringe and aspirate a waste then another syringe after to withdraw the blood used for the specimen. Then flush with saline with a "pulse" or "stop-start" method and then with heparinized saline the same way. I then use a "female" vacutainer putting the blood into the tubes (attaches to the syringe). Hope this was helpful.

i have been using vacutainers on ports for 7 years and have had one that was positional. i now have a coworker trying to tell me that this is not acceptable because it puts too much vaccum on the catheter. ???????have any refrances?

You can use a vacutainer on ports, and most permacaths. You are not supposed to use them on PICC lines because of the pressure.

I agree with Sleepyhead. A lot of the port a caths I've used have been positional. I use the same method to draw up blood and flush.

I use vacutainers on ports also. There is literature out there approving its use. You might want to go that route in convincing your co-worker that it's ok to use. The manufacturer might even be able to give you info on this.