scalp iv flow direction

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Yesterday we had a child who needed a scalp IV started. It was inserted, but away from the heart. Some of the older nurses recall it being acceptable to do this for scalps, while others insist all IVs go with the flow towards the heart. Does anyone know if the "anyway goes" method is/was acceptable? Is it just a matter of current teachings being different or do some of our nurses have faulty memories?

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Our scalp IVs always point toward the centre of the body. It's also always a good idea to assess for a pulse in the vessel you've chosen... scalp arteries look exactly like scalp veins.

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Specializes in PEDS.

Thanks for posting this. I am never sure with scalp veins, but I have heard that they should point to the center of the body, too. I have actually only done one myself, I have assisted with a few, though.

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