silly question from a student

Just visited my grandma in the ICU. Those are some awesome nurses! Was wondering about the thing that looks like an IV bag in a balloon? I scoured all my books, the closest thing I could come up with was that maybe it was the high-pressure flush system for intraarterial monitoring? So then maybe the balloon thing keeps pressure on the bag?

You are correct that it is a high-pressure system, although not necessarily for an intra-arterial monitoring. It could also be for central venous pressures (CVPs) or as part of a Swan-Ganz line.

Is this flushed every shift and is that the only time it needs to be pumped up?

The line is flushed any time it needs it. The pressure in the bag is generally kept at 300mmHg and is adjusted when needed also.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, I've never spent time in the ICU as a student so it was pretty foreign to me!

The only dumb question is the one not asked. Feel free to ask any questions you like. There is probably someone here than can answer it.