Do you flush and lock….

…those vascular access devices?  Of course… all nurses who care for vascular access devices (VAD) should, right?? …. but do they ” flush and lock” or ” flush” only thinking that flushing is enough to keep the VAD patent? The 2011 Infusion Nursing  standards of practice makes this distinction…. “Flushing” – the act of moving…

Bridges to Global Alliance: 2011 INS Annual Convention – Louisville

Hi y’all!! A two hour drive south on I 65 takes me to downtown Louisville, KY for the 2011 INS (Infusion Nurses Society) Annual Convention and Industrial Exhibition. I am so excited to be here and always looking forward to meeting up with old and new colleagues.The weekend session just concluded and it is going…

Contaminated IVs….

Anything with the letters…”IV” catches my attention immediately then I’m all over the article/topic or whatever the letters are attached to. More so when the word…”CONTAMINATED” appears before it. CONTAMINATED IVs…ugh, not something an infusion nurse want to see or hear at anytime. My heart broke when I saw the news about the 9 patient…

Calculating and counting drops…

When was the last time you have counted the drops on your patient’s IV? Thanks to the marvels of infusion pump technology, for many of us, it may have been a while and to some of our new colleagues, perhaps none of them have actually counted drops. Why bother with such unimportant matter? Is it…

New drugs….new hope!!

Several new treatment options for chronic illnesses have received FDA approval in the last few months. Among them are two biologic agents administered intravenously for chronic refractory gout in adults (September 2010)  and the other is for Lupus, a serious autoimmune disorder (March 2011). Krystexxa (pegloticase) has been approved by the FDA  for patients with…

Take our survey: Standards of Practice

On January 25,  national IV nurse day, the Infusion Nurses Society  (INS) announced the release of the revised 2011 Infusion Nursing Standards of Practice. This has been a long awaited document for infusion nurses and I am so happy to hear this news.  So like a child on Christmas morning, I wait in great anticipation…

B. Cereus…. contaminated alcohol swabs, pads & swabsticks?

The FDA released this alert a few days ago: Triad Group Issues a Voluntary Nationwide Recall of All Lots of Alcohol Prep Pads, Alcohol Swabs, and Alcohol Swabsticks Due to Potential Microbial Contamination What??? Are you serious? We use these products to disinfect areas such as skin, injection ports, connectors, etc… prior to injection or…

Terms of Confusion..

Over the years, I’ve noticed certain terms often misused and misunderstood by nurses which can lead to false assumptions, misinterpretations and yes, confusion.  Here’s some of those terms: Standards of Care Standards of Practice Policies and Procedures Practice Guidelines Protocols Often I hear these terms used interchangeably. To help clear up the confusion, let’s define…

Closing out 2010..

The last day of the year and yes, 2010 went by so fast.  I consider myself lucky for it was a good year f0r me professionally and an equally good year for this blog as well. Through this blog, I have met so many wonderful individuals,  learned so much from them, and very grateful for…