Using the Femoral Artery for blood draws

vamedic4, EMT-P · Dec 29, 2008

Sorry to hijack your thread, but I fail to see the common sense here. Arterial sticks are not without complications, sometimes very serious even when done properly. And you're talking about an artery the size of a garden hose. Arterial or venous central lines, when cared for properly and monitored closely, can and should be used for situations like you describe.

Good luck with whatever you find, that'll be interesting.

vamedic4

Doesn't feel like winter here :nuke:

allnurses Guide · Dec 29, 2008

Why would you use the artery rather than the vein? I've never heard of anywhere permitting this.

getoverit, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Dec 30, 2008

Have to agree with vamedic and ghillbert, that's what the central line is for. I'm not trying to pry into your facilities privacy, but how bad is the incident rate for catheter-related infections compared to their use for blood draws? I would imagine those risks outweigh the risks involved in sticking the femoral artery several times each day.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Dec 30, 2008

I would think that instead of training nurses to do fem art sticks, your workplace could focus on training staff on how to decrease catheter related infections.

Boston-RN, RN · Dec 30, 2008

I would agree with all the above. Isn't the point of having central access to have access and not need to have to find other access. Imagine this from the pt's point of view.

seanpdent, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP · Jan 5, 2009

Echoing all the above. The risks of Arterial sticks are too numerous, when there is a more tangible option with central line access. Irregardless of BSI, it's still much safer.

iluvivt, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2009

I agree you have got to be talking about the vein here. Our ED docs will sometimes get some blood from the VEIN there if they think the patient will most likely not be admited. The risks are far to great to be digging around in the groin looking for the artery. I agree with all above that the patient should have a CVC. I have been using Ultrasound for 5 years now to place PICCs even though I have been placing PICCs since 1981. I have been really able to see all the things we want to avoid hitting with a needle...like a nerve. Also in many individuals it is very difficult to compress this site and you can have a lot of bleeding even before you can see the s/sx of it. I would rather hot pack and look for a vein,or use the US to find one than go for that artery.

NiteyNite · Jan 5, 2009

If the incidence of catheter related infection is so high in your facility that you are turning to femoral sticks for blood draws then there needs to be some root cause analysis taking place to find and correct the exact cause of the catheter related infections. Whether it be poor access technique, poor maintenance and care, or poor insertion technique. The incidence should not be that high. In addition, why is the femoral artery being used as an alternative? What's wrong with a simple peripheral venous stick, or if an artery must be used as a last resort, the radial artery? If any arteries are used the radial should be used because it has a backup blood supply to the hand. The brachial and femoral do not have backup blood supplies to their distal tissues. Hence, for those, thrombosis = very bad. Even if the femoral vein is used there will be accidental artery sticks and holding pressure on that artery repeatedly will macerate that artery; try to find a picture of it; it looks horrible. That's the reason they now have closure devices for femoral arteries after sheath use. Aside from that; repeated arterial sticks of any artery are a bad idea for the same destructive reason and any patient that needs it done, such as frequent ABG analysis, should have an A-line. The problem here is with the CVL's and needs to be resolved there. Arterial sticks is a poor selection as an alternative to this problem. Oh yeah, no, RN's don't do femoral sticks at my facility.