What was IV tubing made of before the invention of plastics?

grimmy, RN · Aug 6, 2005

i do believe (and i could definitely be wrong) they were made of rubber or silicone. problem with rubber is that it gets dry, cracks, and its hard to sterilize.

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Aug 6, 2005

Syringes and needles were metal. Im sure they must have been heat sterilized (boiled) for reuse. I know they reused the barrels of the syringe, but not sure about needles.

Doubt they had anything but S/S to detect oxygen levels (if their lips and nail beds turned purple they didnt have enough oxygen). Im not sure about gloves, im not so sure they didnt scrub and leave it at that. Maybe alcohol. Who knows the surgeon may have had a bottle of 100 proof stashed under the OR cart.

I think they put ether on a cloth or a screened mask like thing and held it over the nose and mouth to put a patient to sleep. At least that is what my mother told me as she remembered having her tonsils out when she was little.

Reigen · Aug 6, 2005

oxygen levels can still be monitered with ABG's.

Masks and ether drops over a cloth

rubber for IV tubing, and for surgical gloves

and needles and syringes were made of metal and both were sterlized and re used.

Had to go ask my Great Aunt who is still an RN

MNnurseMom · Aug 6, 2005

I was an LPN for 19 years before I just became an RN. About 15 years ago, when I was working in Long Term Care, we were lucky to have one box of gloves in the building for all the cares. You never wore gloves to change pads, clean people, or change a regular bandage. It had to be very oohie gooie before you wore gloves.

Editorial Team / Admin · Aug 6, 2005

I know bottles were made of glass, but what was IV tubing made of before the invention and widespread use of plastics?
What other common devices used in heathcare (latex gloves, syringes, needles, pulse-ox machines, anesthesia equipment) have changed since World War II and The Korean War?
I know most people here were nota round then, but I thought some folks might know from stories of family and friends.
I have been watching M*A*S*H and it has really got me thinking of nursing in the last half century.

Gonna show my age here....and NO I am not THAT old.

Syringes were glass and easy to sterilize. Needles WERE used again after sterilization.. In fact, I have the gold needles my father-in-law used in his practice. IV tubing was rubber. OR gowns were cloth and well as the masks and booties.

No pulse ox machines for routine use. Drop mask anesthesia with ether. DeeLee suction for newborn was using the mouth to suck the mucous in the trap. I could go on and on and on and on.

grannynurse FNP student · Aug 6, 2005

Syringes and needles were metal. Im sure they must have been heat sterilized (boiled) for reuse. I know they reused the barrels of the syringe, but not sure about needles.
Doubt they had anything but S/S to detect oxygen levels (if their lips and nail beds turned purple they didnt have enough oxygen). Im not sure about gloves, im not so sure they didnt scrub and leave it at that. Maybe alcohol. Who knows the surgeon may have had a bottle of 100 proof stashed under the OR cart.
I think they put ether on a cloth or a screened mask like thing and held it over the nose and mouth to put a patient to sleep. At least that is what my mother told me as she remembered having her tonsils out when she was little.

Yes, needles were reused. Before sterilizing, they were examined for little burrs. It they were present, the needle was dragged across a pumice like stone until it was removed. And yes, ether was administered in the manner your mother recalls. And plastic was used in the 1930s.

Grannynurse :nurse:

Who will be 60 on the day the Japanese surrendered

Dalzac, LPN, LVN, RN · Aug 6, 2005

Some syringes were made of glass. They had to have a needle sharpener for needles to get the burrs off. rubber for gloves and iv tubing and foley catheters. I think the glass syringes were for some blood tests simular to abg's I used to have one many years ago when they started using plastic for syringes was like a few years before I became a CCU tech and long before I became a nurse. I found the old frosted glass syringe when we were cleaing our an old ICU unit to get ready to build a new one. The old unit even had occiliscopes, single round glass moniters to see ekgs on the ccu patients. The defibrillators weighed close to 75-80 or more pounds and crash carts were the old red roller tool boxes we had to roll everywhere because it was too heavy to just carry. On the defibrillators you had to push down very hard to get enough pressure on them to fire, no buttons to push

Now this is only what I have been told being to young to remember,......wink,wink,nudge,nudge

Dragonfair · Aug 6, 2005

Anyone remember the red rubber hoses they used for enemas. The metal bed pans that were dropped on the floor and sent everyone to the morgue because of the noise. We had one nurse and q noc she would drag out the pans wash them and clatter all over the place

ARLadyRN · Aug 6, 2005

My mother was a nurse in the 1940's. When she was a student nurse, they were taught also by the doctors. The hospital would have floors that had 40 patients and her an another student nurse would be in charge of it. They only had 2 antibiotics, sulfa and penicillin. In the nursery, the nurse would make up all the baby's formula in very sterile conditions. When the new baby came, there wasn't a first bath, the baby would would be wiped down with olive oil. New mothers stayed for a week. Nurses would have an inspection before their shift. This was to make sure their uniform, shoes, hair, etc. was just right. Everyone wore their caps. No ICU's, there was private duty nursing.

IV's were sometimes just given under the skin, not in a vein. I'm glad of our times!!!!

rambisisking · Aug 6, 2005

Anyone remember the red rubber hoses they used for enemas. The metal bed pans that were dropped on the floor and sent everyone to the morgue because of the noise. We had one nurse and q noc she would drag out the pans wash them and clatter all over the place

I most certinally do remember the red rubber hoses, and I remember the 3-H enemas: High, Hot, and **** of a lot. I remember the docs comming into the patients room, turning over one of those lg metal bedpans sliding it under the patients backside and doing a pelvic exam or even worse a sigmoidoscopy right there in their hospital bed.

And back to the red rubber hoses, enema's were not all they were used for, it was not uncommon to give women douches in the hospital. God, I remember hanging them on the shower bar and thinking I would never let someone do this to me. After my hysterectomy a few years ago, I woke up screaming one night , all I could remember was being back in the hospital I worked at after training, in the bathroom and getting one of these douches , I could see the lg rubber bag hanging on the shower curtain, and I kept thinking no no they can't do this there's nothing to put this water in...there's nothing to hold it...then I was in this huge ocean drowning when I woke up. :uhoh3: I guess they call that Karma... any way sorry to get off the subject, I must have been having a flashback :rotfl:

nursemary9, BSN, RN · Aug 6, 2005

Hey Guys,

You all are bringing it all back to me!! I am 60 & have been nursing for 39 yrs.

I remember all of what has been said.

I remeber one day as a junior nsg. student, myself & another classmate of mine ran the nursery! There was no RN. We also staffed the hospital, especially on night shift.

I remember the first code; there are so many first's I remember.

I certainly do remember the inspections before we went on duty. They even measured our skirt length--had to be 1 ft. from the floor & we had to wear a girdle!! If the Nuns thought you might not be wearing a girdle they actually felt your butt up!! Weather you needed the girdle or not!!

Living in the nurses residence was required & NO married students need apply. If you by chance got pregnant, out you went.

The residence was another whole subject & I will never forget those years--they were some of the best of my life. My Roommate of all three years is still my best friend.

Mary Ann