AishaMousgoy

I'm not sure about institutional policy, but I will ask about it. When i was being interviewed for the job, the nurse manager told me sheath pulls were a part of the job, and I said ok. It's a given that PCTs pull the sheaths on our floor, as well as on the telemetry floors. It does involve a lot of pressure, so I can see why males have an advantage the majority of the time. I usually lose feeling in my fingers after ten minutes have gone by.

I agree with you!

I agree with you! I was EXTREMELY SURPRISED to learn that sheath pulls were in my job description. I'm not sure "extremely surprised" does the feeling justice, but I can't think of another word at the moment. Astounded? I was talking to one of the RNs during a sheath pull on Friday, and asked if he thought it was kind of bizarre that the techs pull sheaths. I felt better when he said yes. He said at his old job, only PAs were allowed to do it.

On our floor, we have a lot of traveler nurses, and so they are not able to pull sheaths (because they aren't certified by our hospital). I know it sounds strange, but our system works really well! The PCTs on my floor are absolutely fantastic! I remember my first day, which was three months ago. I was shadowing one of the PCTs and when I saw her do a sheath pull, I started feeling faint, and had to leave the room so I didn't pass out! Now I do them myself, and I feel fine! I think I was really nervous and hadn't eaten much that morning. I still laugh about it with the nurses who were there that day... :)

Yup, it's true! I pulled three sheaths today in fact. Two were post-stent procedure, so the patient had been receiving IV blood thinner (angiomax), and one was post-diagnostic, so no IV blood thinner was given. I think sheath pulls are fun, for the most part! I did one EZ-hold and two manual pressure.

Hi! I am a PCT on a cardiac floor. I was hired in late April of this year, just after I passed my CNA state test. I had no prior experience as a CNA. My only experience to speak of was that I was a health education volunteer in the Peace Corps. I am so grateful that I was hired, and I have been working so hard to prove that the unit made a good decision in hiring me. I love my job. That said, it can be very stressful. I was in orientation for a month, which was great, but there are still things that I would like to feel more confident doing. This might sound strange, but the PCTs on my floor are the ones who pull femoral sheaths post procedure (cardiac catheterization). There is always an RN in the room with the PCT during a sheath pull. The RN's job is to monitor the patient for vagal response, and chart vitals every five minutes until hemostasis has been achieved. We PCTs pull both arterial and venous sheaths. This is definitely the most stressful and difficult task that I do. On a typical day, I usually do about three separate sheath pulls. I really enjoy sheath pulls, but I do get nervous before doing them. Kinda like stage fright... Are there any other PCTs/CNAs out there that pull sheaths? I was taught to use manual pressure, and occasionally use the E-Z Hold if the patient is either very obese or their femoral pulse is very deep. I wonder if I will start to develop Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? I heard that can happen to people who pull sheaths, since we put so much stress on our fingers and wrists.