Temporarily disconnecting a CVC port from patient and air embolism

[Noelle2000]

Would disconnecting a needless port from the patient's CVC line without closing to the patient's side cause air embolism? How can air get into a fluid filled tubing ? Does it diffuse into the fluid if you just disconnected a matter of 2 seconds? This line has a continous maintainance IVF running through it. Is there a study or data to support this claim? There are air bubbles at times on tubing which is not enough to cause pump to alarm and hence infused into the patient. So it seems like a little scant air won't really harm pt as what my previous long experienced Rn/preceptor told me. Is this supported?

On another topic, if a CVC line has a maintainance IVF running at 75cc/hr and in a rush because pt is crashing down and a pressor is connected to the NS line with the levophed's pump programmed at 25 mcg. Would this cause the pressor to be bolus into the patient or be infused faster than 17cc/hr into the patient if it is attached to the tubing where the maintainance IVF is running? I would think this will dilute or change only the osmolality of levophed but not really be infused faster because the levophed and NS are both being pumped at a set rate by the infusion pumps. Is there any data to support this claim? If levophed is compatible with the other fluid in the line, should it still be infused separately or ALONE on its own?

Before you hook a camino to monitor ICP, do you need it calibrated prior to connecting to the patient? How about vigileo? do you calbrate it prior to connecting to the pt or after it is connected to the pt?

If I only have 2 ports on a PICC,which port do you transduced for CVP?

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

Yes, air can enter a CVC when left open to air: on inspiration, intrathoracic pressure decreases and can potentially suck air into the catheter and into the RA and RV. This can be particularly serious with even small amounts in a patient with a PFO or ASD as the air can move into the left side of the heart and then to the brain. I found this article and it lists several references.

http://ukpmc.ac.uk/articles/PMC3029402//reload=0;jsessionid=278A91B6461C3E04B9F74902F31FE2DE.jvm1

[misswhitney]

I was told, by a physician, that it would take an entire IV tubing line to create enough of an embolism to kill someone.

[kessadawn, BSN, RN]

I believe the Camino is calibrated prior to attaching to patient.

Transduce the larger lumen of your PICC.