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Discussion

Stop IV for what?

Another irritating question for you all

On the med. surg. floor lots of patients have running IV's. When the patient with the running IV has to go for a test, which test do you need to stop the IV and which test is ok for the CNA to take them down with the IV....by the way it seems like the CNA's always want the RN to disconnect the IV...I guess its easier for them...but when or what test do you have to disconnect the IV?

Mahalo :uhoh3:

Featured Replies

I think that would depend on what is running,.is it Cardizem or just TKO NS? How long are they going to be gone? What do you mean by "test"? Are you talking about things like Xray, CT, MRI? All of those departments, as well as your hospital should have protocols about what machines and equipment are allowed,.MRI has it's own equipment to switch to while the pt is there.

my hospital will not allow a CNA to turn off a running iv wheter it is TKO or not. it is not in the scope of practice to disconnect the iv. i do not mind disconnect a iv to let a pt go for a test. i like to flush a HL after i disconnect it anyway.

  • Guides
I think that would depend on what is running,.is it Cardizem or just TKO NS? How long are they going to be gone? What do you mean by "test"? Are you talking about things like Xray, CT, MRI? All of those departments, as well as your hospital should have protocols about what machines and equipment are allowed,.MRI has it's own equipment to switch to while the pt is there.

This is exactly right - there are policies in place to address this . . or there should be.

And it is easier to get a patient to a test w/o a running IV.

steph

  • Expert

At all the places I have worked, CNAs are not allowed to touch running IVs. It is a lot easier to transport sans IV but if someone was a bad stick and I absolutely do not want to lose that site, I might insist on keeping that KVO running.

If it's a drip that they absolutely cannot be off, well, that ought to be self-explanatory. If it's a KVO that's running just to make it easier to hang intermittent abx, then I'd probably vote to take it down for transport. :)

In our hospital we cannont disconnect an iv w/o a drs order. . even to go down for tests.

Depends on what's running and where they're going, as others have said.

I will add this caution, which I have learned about the hard way: When a pt arrives on the floor, no matter where they came from, and they have a saline/hep lock, FLUSH that baby immediately or risk losing it.

So many times, I have sent a pt for a CT with contrast, so they used the IV for the contrast, and when they came back, unless I got to it right away, the line was clotted. I believe that some people in other departments don't really care how they leave the line because they never have to use it again.

  • Author

I didn't mean the CNAs stop the IV, they ask the RN to do it.

  • Author

Thanks guys....seems like the consensus is if its easier to transport the patient without the IV then heplock it...although this runs the risk of it clotting.

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