ivnurse

For a patient to die of an air embolism only it would have to be a bolus large enought to block the pulmonary artery. On the other hand it could cause other symptoms with a smaller bolus. Usually the smaller boluses get trapped in the lungs. It would be very rare that PIV couls cause air embolism as the flow would most likely cause the blood to exit from the catheter and not draw air in. Randy

ButrflyGurl, Do not feel bad, most nurses miss the difference between the two. With Phlebitis you will see a red streak along the vein. There is often pain associated with this streak. With Thrombophlebitis there will also be red a red streak and pain but also warmth and the track will feel very hard and tender. If you ever see Thrombophlebitis for the first time you will never forget it. I have seen many cases of both but, distinquishing the two can be difficult at first signs. This is just a small explanation and does not cover much. You can look up the terms on the net and see pictures. It is hard sometimes to distinquish the signs from the beginning of infiltration and extravastion. You are already up on many nurses keep up the good work. Randy

72 hours is the standard of care. Anything over 72 hours and the risk s of Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis go up. Just for information a MD can write an order to extend a PIV but, it does not take the responsibility away from the nurses if a complication occurs after the 72 hour standard of care. I know that this sounds paranoid but I teach IV Therapy classes and people do get sued for this. If I were to leave in for longer thatn 72 hours it would be only on a patient that is expectant and is a very difficult insertion. But, I would still be responsible for that decision. Randy Ross R.N., B.S.N IV Nurse Consultant, President & CEO IV's Etc... LLC Vascular Access & Consulting http://www.ivsetc.com (http://www.ivsetc.com) [email protected]

Thrombophlebitis is a known risk for PIV's. It has a higher risk in PIV's than in PICC's or Midlines. Unfortunately, rarely do staff nurses inform a patient of the risks associated with PIV's before initiating a peripheral line so that could work against the nurses case. With PICC's and Midlines the nurses inserting them will get a written or verbal consent which should include listing all major complications associated with the particular line. You could do a search on Cinahl or through you local mediacl library. You could also go to www.hadawayassociates.com and do a search there. I think it costs @$90.00 a year but it is worth the money if you do a lot of cases regarding IV Therapy. Lynn Hadaway has a searchable database for IV Therapy. I think she also does consultations for a fee. I could give you more info if you still need it. Hope this helps and sorry if it was to late. I rarely get a chance to cruise the site anymore. Randy Ross R.N., B.S.N IV Nurse Consultant, President & CEO IV's Etc... LLC Vascular Access & Consulting www.ivsetc.com [email protected]

Lori, I drove 120 miles to go to classes at IU East in Richmond almost every day for 6 years between my ASN and ASN-BSN degrees. If you lkike the school the drive is not that bad. I drive to Kokomo three to four times a week now and it is not that bad. I chose IU East over all others that I applied due to the small class size and the Student to Instructor ratio. Drive to Kokomo and have a good career. Randy