dawson16

Please comment on this IV situation in our hospital. 1. If an inpatient comes to our imaging dept. on a intravenous pump, then we are to re-stick a new venous site instead of using the access provided. What are current policies on unhooking IV pumps and allowing for contrast media injection through the current site. 2. So many of our patients have a limited number or no IV sites already, and it does not seem ethical to subject some of these critically ill patients to another stick just for the injection of a IV contast media. 3. Please comment on the use of a varied number of technologist, not all registered, on actually suspending the pump and restarting- I am worried about the "button pushers" and incorrect pump restarts. 4. For the safety of the patient, could we not disconnect the patient from the pump for a 60 second IV contrast injection, cap the IV with a blunt cannula tip, allow the pump to keep dripping without interrupting the pump settings, flush the IV site with normal saline after the injection, and then finally reconnect the IV site to the pump. Please advice on this situation. We need help.

BD Healthcare systems have several videos you can download for venous puncture technique. Although it is illustrating their product, I found it extremely helpful. Also, check out the IV therapy nurse websites, they have great tips and they do work.

Thank you so much, I will return to work tomorrow with this stragedy. I hope we can implement for the patients' sake.

Please comment on this IV situation in our hospital. 1. If an inpatient comes to our imaging dept. on a intravenous pump, then we are to re-stick a new venous site instead of using the access provided. What are current policies on unhooking IV pumps and allowing for contrast media injection through the current site. 2. So many of our patients have a limited number or no IV sites already, and it does not seem ethical to subject some of these critically ill patients to another stick just for the injection of a IV contast media. 3. Please comment on the use of a varied number of technologist, not all registered, on actually suspending the pump and restarting- I am worried about the "button pushers" and incorrect pump restarts. 4. For the safety of the patient, could we not disconnect the patient from the pump for a 60 second IV contrast injection, cap the IV with a blunt cannula tip, allow the pump to keep dripping without interrupting the pump settings, flush the IV site with normal saline after the injection, and then finally reconnect the IV site to the pump. Please advice on this situation. We need help.