vascular OR nurse please help

[theatre9]

any vascular OR nurses in the house? just want to know what do you use to identify the different syringes that you use for the heparinized saline and antibiotic solution in bypass procedures? is there a special sticker or something that you can stick on the syringe?

theatre9

[suzanne4, RN]

They must have a label, no way around that. It is a requirement. Remember that the labels need to be sterile because they will used on the field. Many of our packs come with the labels right inside. Just use a skin marker pen to mark the labels.

[grimmy, RN]

we can get pre-marked labels with solution concentrations we use frequently in our packs. barring a lost label, use a steri-strip - a last resort, but i mark every syringe, no matter what. i was laughing just the other day when i was cutting up labels to fit my 3 cc syringe (so it would fit properly), and my circ said, "doing your arts and crafts?" who says or nursing isn't creative?:)

[SFCardiacRN]

Label the syringe and bowl. It helps the lunch relief in addition to AORN standards recommendation.

[theatre9]

we tried using skin markers but the ink comes off when it gets wet. we tie the red strings (that holds the 5 swabs together) around the syringe barrel but our manager thought it was wrong because the strings are supposed to be handed off to the circulating nurse before counting the swabs. any better idea?

[SFCardiacRN]

Pre-printed and blank labels can be purchased. The blanks hold ink better than steristrips. Try giving the ink a chance to dry before getting it wet. We also use different size syringes for each solution. 30ml leurlocks with vessel cannula for heparin solution, 20ml slip tip for dilute Hypaque Dye, 10ml control syringe for local, 10ml slip tip for full strength Dye, 3ml for Papavarine. We use different bowls also. Metal Graduate for heparin, plastic graduate for antibiotic irrigation, 1000ml plastic bowl for saline/Hypaque, 500ml plastic bowl for full strength Hypaque, glass medicine cup for local, plastic medicine cup for papavarine, 200ml specimen cup for mineral oil. We still use labels though.

[theatre9]

thank you so much for all your advice.

theatre9

[kmberryrnfa]

and if all else fails and there are not labels, as I found when I first started at my current facility (yes I was shocked and appalled that they did not use labels for drugs and such on the field....not to mention they didn't count instruments on cases until a year ago) I used Steri strips until they got the labels in. the 1/4 inch ones work, but I prefer the 1/2 inch ones and they actually stick better on the syringes than the labels.