IVRUS BSN, RN

YES, YES, AND YES! Each time, Every time! Now, once you assess and have patency with NSS, then you don't need to assess it again if you are heparinizing the line after your saline flush, but a brisk, free-flowing blood return the color and consisten...

Heparin Flush will prevent fibrin build-up. Keeping a line open with Saline only is doable, but one should be flushing at greater intervals if that is what you are using. In hospital settings, they usually use Saline only as they are manipulating an...

Infusion Nurses Society (INS) reviews in its standards, that Heparin Flush, if it is to be used on Non-Valved IV catheters should be the lowest concentration available. In hospitals, most IV catheters are being used sooo frequently, that Heparin flu...

I would contact BARD. They often provide PICC "certification" classes.

A curos cap is a good idea, but if it is not your policy to use them, then scrub, scrub , scrub that needleless connector each and every time before you enter it.

This is a total NO-NO. Shaving causes microabrasions and possible staph infections. If you must, clip the hair.

So, let's say that you are giving an IVAB. Med is due at 0600. At 0555, you do all your checks on the IV catheter/drsg, you check the saline syringe, and you do a good, vigorous scrub of the needleless connector. You hook up your saline syringe, flus...

That is why you are PALPATING initially with non-sterile gloves on, so that you only have to stabilize the port's body with one hand, while accessing it with the other hand. Yes, with sterile gloves on, you technically can touch the port, but I'd on...

Well, Your process doesn't appear problematic, but how is your tourniquet placement? If you are placing the line on a geriatric pt, you may very well have difficulty being successful if you tourniquet is too tight. Elderly patients require loose to...

Any issues/complications, real or imagined, must come under the PRN dressing change tab. If you think you are seeing redness under at the site, that is a time when you MUST perform a sterile dressing change to assess and identify the next step in pa...

https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/993615O/picc-cvc-chg-device-application-guide.pdf Maybe their website instructions can help

Kristine, What is the concentration that you are using to "lock" the PICC line? Standards, and many Policies have you locking catheters with the lowest concentration, namely 10 units/mL. With this concentration, there is no need to withdraw th...

I would try to find a Post Acute / LTC facility which takes complex patients. We have a couple in my area that take vents/trachs, and they do tons of IV therapy. Given that you are such a new RN, I seriously would discourage you from trying to bran...

Were you actually ACCESSING an implanted port, or truly de-ACCESSING? Upon accessing, some ports are easier to access if the patient is sitting up; this is especially true if the pt is a large chested female.

First of all Karen, this conclusion, imo, is nonsensical. Yes, having a central line in increases the chance of large vessel thrombosis, but the benefit of having it is so much better than the inherent risk. Bloodstream infections can occur with a...

I too would have obtained an order for a "chaser" bag with this 50 ml IVAB. Not doing this, leaves too much medication in the IV administration set, whereas having it as a secondary will increase the amount of antibiotic cleared from the IV tubing.

I get that, you probably don't but I would seriously bring this up with your staff development person and DON

I would NEVER run a vesicant medication such as this via a MIDLINE. That is a huge NO-NO. Think about it: Can you see, much less palpate the blood vessels under the shoulder or right before the Axillary vein? NO... therefore, since the blood vess...

Another important thing to remember is that some IV catheters are packaged and sent to you "heat sealed". Insyte Autoguard IV catheters used to be that way. Therefore, the junction of the IV catheter and the needle hub must be separated first and t...

Feel free to PM me, and I'd be happy to speak with you on the phone...

Standard 36 specifically addresses add-ons and it states, " When indicated, preferentially use systems that minimize manipulation and reduce components, such as integrated extension sets" Therefore, it is saying, that if at all possible, don't use ad...

What is it about Med/Surg do you hate? If it's the fact that they have many different types of IV catheters and IV medications, then Infusion nursing is not for you. Infusion nursing is sooo much more than just being a "Good Stick" , it's about kno...

WOW!, 6 lumens.. Is the patient that much of a sick puppy??? First of all, like you, I know that the more lumens means more manipulation, and an increase in CRBSI's. But, also remember that this is an ADD-ON device. According to INS, add on devices ...

IMPLANTED PORTS are sutured into a subcutaneous pocket. If these sutures broke, the port will travel under the skin and be hard to pin down. The MD should go in and fix this problem. Now lack of blood return could mean that the IV catheter has bee...

I don't know who you are, or what the issue is, but if you read the first two posts, this person seemingly was frustrated because over several days without a response to her OP, she came back. So, it needed to be pointed out that in order to get the...