Use of positive pressure with interlink cannula

[RNsweetie]

Hi there, I was wondering if any of you have seen or can recall any good articles on why we use this technique for flushing interlink cannula's.

I have to do a presentation on something nurses do in clinical practice (If any of you don't do this I would love to know that as well) and need 3 journal articles to support of refute this. I have looked on CINHAL and found nothing.

This is basicly to see if it is a resarch based practice or "just the way it has always been done".

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks as usual, you all are such great resourses, :kiss

Any other good Ideas for Practices changed based on reserch ? I had a hard time thinking of one.

Erin

[bellehill, RN]

Erin RN Student,

I have only worked in one hospital that insisted on positive pressure flushes for interlock cannulas. One hospital had a system that automatically applied positive pressure and the hospital I am in now we don't to anything except flush every 8 hours with 3cc of saline. I think the theory behind positive pressure is to avoid clotting off the cannula, but I don't think it is a good theory. I do use positive pressure when I flush heparin through CVC lines but that is and only because I hate it when they clot off. Let us know how your research goes!

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

look on the emergency nurse website and critical care nursing. Do not know the sites but have searched for stuff like that before.

[RNsweetie]

Thanks I will check them out and will be sure to let you know how it goes, thanks for letting me know your experiance in practice Belle.

Erin

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

We were told that by the interlink detail man right before we started using them. I think it was to rid dead air space in the cap.

http://www.bd.com/safety/products/infusion/pdfs/posiflow.pdf

Here's the Interlink BD site.

[tinkerbelle]

Interesting point for student nurses to look into.

[RNsweetie]

Thanks for the info, I am having such a hard time finding research based articles with regard to this subject I may have to change this topic. We are required to have 3 evidenced based research articles to support this practice, and I can't find any ...... Thanks I will keep looking though, keep the great suggestions comming.

Thanks Erin