sanczar

In response to the comment: "If you flush air bubbles into a patient it will not hurt them"..... This is not entirely true. Yes, we breathe gas into our lungs, but the exchange of O2 and CO2 is at the molecular level. If you breathe in 300 ml of gas, you are also exhaling 300 ml of gas - it doesn't go into the veins. So the notion that it's ok to inject air bubbles into veins because we breathe in gas is absolute nonsense. While it won't kill a patient if a few little air bubbles get into the blood stream, it is vital that we minimize those little air bubbles. Here's what happens: air bubble enters the blood stream via a vein - it travels to the right heart and into the pulmonary artery which ends up in the pulmonary capillary bed (the capillaries that wrap around the alveoli) where it will likely just dissipate. If a LARGE air bolus enters the blood stream, ie: a syringe full of air, it may get stuck in the right heart and create and air lock which would severely drop the cardiac output and therefore stop perfusion to the heart and end organs. OR the air emobolism may travel through to the pulmonary artery (major blood supply to the lungs) and create severe pulmonary perfusion problems. So, air is not a good thing in the blood stream...try to avoid it at all costs. Second, in answer to your original question, if you are going to flush a catheter, I would recommend flushing gently, and if it does not flush, try aspirating. If it will not aspirate, don't push the issue...change the IV, or if it a central line, talk to the physician - CathFlo or tPa may be in order.