First, my apologies for the lack of posts here lately. I’m still around, just got busy with, you know, life and grown up stuff!! Anyway, thank you for your continued support and patience. Hope everyone is doing well. So what’s new? IV Glue…yes, glue but not the one you get at the office supply store.…
Learn, Discover, Share – another hallmark INS Annual meeting completed this year and this time in a new condensed format. Down to 4 days from the usual 6 days, each day was packed with new learning opportunities from experts and providers in the infusion therapy and vascular access world while offering the same amount of…
January 25 this year and every year on this day is a day to celebrate IV Nurse Day!!In 1980, the professional practice of infusion nursing was formally recognized when the United States House of Representatives declared each January 25 as IV Nurse Day. This recognition was the beginning of what the infusion specialty has become.…
This is an updated version of the 2014 publication. The current update (2016) adds 34 drugs, five of which have safe-handling recommendations from the manufacturers. Hazardous drugs include those used for cancer chemotherapy, antiviral drugs, hormones, some bioengineered drugs, and other miscellaneous drugs. This document presents criteria and sources of information for determining whether a drug is…
A patient recently told me that she has bad veins and expect to be stuck numerous times for a peripheral IV insertion. I asked her how many times did the nurses stick her before they got an peripheral IV ? She replied: Oh, “it depends on the nurse but they keep sticking me till they get…
Q: I was getting Solumedrol drip and got a big goose egg where my IV needle was inserted. Will I get benefit from the drug that went into my skin? A: Thank you for your question. There are several articles on the topic of IV infiltration, however, I didn’t find anything specific on this. So here…
A: The goal when selecting the proper gauge of an peripheral IV catheter is to ensure that the best device meets the patient’s needs. This means taking into consideration many factors such as: Prescribed therapy/type of solution Duration of treatment Peripheral vein availability/vein integrity Diagnosis /Age Known complications of the device The Infusion Nurses Society standards of practice…
I came across a very unfortunate incident while reading a pharmacy colleague Jerry Fahrni’s (@jfahrni) blog post: ” CSP error results in death of a patient” The post was about a medication error at a hospital in Oregon. According to news reports, a woman arrived for treatment in the emergency department (ED) following brain surgery that…
Happy New Year and hope everyone is having a great start to 2015! 2014 was a great and challenging year not only for this blog but for healthcare in general. In 2014, this blog turned five years old and I was very happy to have passed another milestone. Through this blog, I have met so…
….as in positive blood return when aspirating from central venous catheters (CVC). Positive blood return means a free flowing blood return easily obtained on aspiration, and the color of whole blood. In other words, bloody RED, not pink-tinged. What a great feeling, knowing that the CVC is properly functioning and ready to use. NOT able to…
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