Recognition of professional practice or specialty may come in many different ways. In 1980, the professional practice of infusion nursing was formally recognized when the United States House of Representatives declared January 25 as IV Nurse Day. This recognition was the beginning of what the infusion specialty has become. Specialization marks the advancement of nursing practice. It…
On a regular basis, I get questions from readers and from Twitter colleagues. Here are some of the Q’s and my A’s which I thought I’d blog about it in the spirit of sharing and learning. 1. Vancomycin Q: We give Vancomycin IV on a regular basis through an IV site in the arm at…
Peripheral IV (PIV) placement is one of the common IV procedures performed by nurses (and other healthcare practitioners) in hospitals and other healthcare settings, including long-term care, outpatient, and home care. Perhaps because of its simplicity, many nurses have underestimated the risks involved with PIV placement, care and maintenance. I often hear them say, “it’s just a…
December 25…a day to celebrate Christmas or that special holiday you celebrate! Many people are off from work taking time to celebrate with loved ones, friends, and family. Many are working to keep us safe or away at war striving to protect our country and to care for those who are ill. That includes nurses and…
At a recent meeting, I was asked by an RN what her liability is if she administered an approved intravenous drug for an non-labeled indication prescribed by a physician to her patient and does she have the right to refuse to give the treatment even with the patient consent? A very interesting question and one that…
I must say this year really went by so fast and it’s Thanksgiving once again. Thanksgiving Day… a day filled with turkey/stuffing, pumpkin pie, an abundance of coma inducing foods, watching the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade” on TV, football, annoying jokes from the in-laws and oops don’t forget the reason for this day… being grateful, humble, and…
According to the INS Standards of Practice, stabilization of vascular access devices shall be used to preserve the integrity of the access device, minimize catheter movement at the hub, and prevent catheter dislodgment and loss of access. A catheter stabilization device is a device/system specifically designed and engineered to control movement at the catheter hub, thereby decreasing catheter movement…
Today is Halloween and while it’s my favorite “unofficial” holiday, I am wimp when it comes to scary movies and I don’t care for people’s costumes with blood, guts, and gore. No, not because I’m scared but as a nurse, I’ve seen my fair share. But as an infusion nurse, I love seeing blood!! Ok,…
as in discontinuing (removal) a central venous access device. Certainly, many of us have discontinued a central venous access device (central line) before. No big deal, right? One key element to remember when discontinuing a CVAD is to include precautions to prevent air embolism. Air embolism from removal of central lines can occur when a…
By now, we should know the difference between a vein and an artery, right? I hope so, because we’ve learned this in nursing school unless you’ve forgotten those trivial matters, like names of veins and arteries. This could be the case especially when you don’t often use the names of the veins and arteries in…
Infusion Nurse Blog 