question about IV therapy (when tourniquet is forgotten!)

[eirn11]

i've been observing peripheral iv iron infusions done for quite some time now, and i was just wondering - what is the worst case scenario when the tourniquet is left on a patient's arm and the infusion is administered? i saw this happen to one of the patients - he was getting iv iron for about 15 minutes but the nurse i was assisting had left the tourniquet on his arm! apparently, it was hid under the shirt sleeve.... towards the end of the infusion, i had observed that the patients' veins have become hard and tortuous (that's the word right?); but the patient was positive that he felt okay... this made me think, what would be the consequence for his veins? would they have ruptured and a hematoma would form? it's just sad, because the patient was a nice old man...

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

worst case is that circulation is so diminished that permanent tissue and nerve damage is done and the arm has to be amputated. I doubt this is frequent, but you asked for the worst.

[eirn11]

really? yeah that does sound like the worst... but what about for just a 15-minute infusion, in terms of the pressures? heard stuff about vein rupture and resultant hematoma...