Problems with prefilled NS syringes?

[LogCabinMom]

Hello all -

recently a few pts have had problems such as nausea, vomiting, bad taste, discomfort in the back of the throat, after getting a PICC or port flushed with the 10ml NS syringes. Drawing NS from a 10-ml vial and flushing with it does not produce the same effect. Has anyone else had this problem? At first we thought that the difference was preservative, but Covidien's website states that the pre-filled syringes are preservative free - does anyone have any ideas?

thanks -

[SkylerW]

There was a recall on some of the flushes that we keep in my hospital pharmacy maybe its a bad batch? I know with pre filled flushes patients say they can taste it, maybe this is what is causing nausea.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

any chance there's something else in the lumen that's getting flushed in? of course, that would be the same even if you used the vials. a puzzlement. hope you saved the boxes with the batch code on them.

[merlee]

I have heard this before, some people are really sensitive. I didn't taste anything with just the NS, or when I rec'd a bolus of K+. I remember tasting an antibiotic that I rec'd IVPB some years ago. I made them put it in a larger amt and give it more slowly. It was more bearable then.

[casi, ASN, RN]

I have had a patient who has c/o of a bad taste in their mouth when the PICC lines has been flushed. Never really looked into why it happened. I just thought it was because she was a little high strung.

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

Almost all my patients report a bad taste or smell, must be something in the plastic of the syringe. ?

[OCNRN63, RN]

We usually tell our pts. to suck on hard candy/chew a piece of gum.

I believe some people do taste it. I know I did; it was kind of a metallic taste.

[rngolfer53]

I've had one Pt c/o being able to taste the saline when flushing a PICC.

However that was with a drawn up flush. Sooooo, the mystery lives on.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

I have had a patient who has c/o of a bad taste in their mouth when the PICC lines has been flushed. Never really looked into why it happened. I just thought it was because she was a little high strung.

I am NOT the least bit high strung. Every time I've had an IV flushed, I can taste something nasty.

[JenniferSews]

I haven't had any pts complain, but I remember once I was in the hospital a few years ago and they flushed my IV and I tasted saline/metal at the same time. The flushed the same line several times after that and I never tasted anything. I remember it so clearly although I thought I was nuts at the time! I remember an even weirder experience but that's beside the point.

[Aurora77]

That's wierd. We just switched to prefilled syringes, but haven't had any pts say anything. When I've had IVs flushed, I can taste the saline in the back of my throat. I've started warning my pts now that they might taste something.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Years ago when I was hospitalized for a suspected pit tumor, I had a PICC line. Every time it was flushed, I got a little dizzy (I guess this is simply from the cold temp of the saline) and got a metallic taste in my mouth-kind of like a penny. Yeah, I put a penny in my mouth on a dare when I was little. OK, OK...it was last year.

I don't think that there is necessarily anything wrong with the syringes. Some pts feel weird when a port or a central line is accessed.