External infusion pumps, commonly called “infusion pumps”, including large volume, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) , elastomeric , syringe , enteral, and insulin pumps, are used worldwide in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, and in the home. Infusion pumps have contributed to improvements in patient care, allowing for a greater level of control, accuracy, and precision in…
Universal precautions has been around since 1983 (then called “Blood and Body Fluid Precautions”) and as defined by CDC, are a set of precautions designed to prevent transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and other bloodborne pathogens when providing first aid or health care. Under universal precautions, blood and certain body…
I have always speculated that medication errors and near misses outside of hospitals and acute care settings have been under reported or perhaps never reported at all. Here’s a case that I was made aware involving an RN who added a medication to a 250mL bag of Sterile Water(unintentionally) and administered by infusion via a…
Back in nursing school, we weren’t allowed to have our fingernails visible over the pads of our fingers. Even then we already knew the potential dangers of long fingernails with our nursing and patient care activities. The use of artificial acrylic fingernails has become more fashionable and so more nurses have begun wearing them even…
In my early years as a nurse on the IV team, one of our responsibilities was to start all the pre-op IV’s using 18g catheters. Because of the large gauge size catheters we were inserting, we would use buffered Lidocaine 1% to numb the site prior to IV insertion. If the patient is allergic to…
A day to recognize board certified nurses in many nursing specialties. Congratulations to all certified nurses! Certification is a profession’s official recognition of achievement, expertise, and clinical judgment. It is a mark of excellence that requires continued learning and skill development to maintain. I have been a “CRNI” – certified registered nurse in Infusion since…
In the past 12 years, we have seen an increase in new monoclonal antibodies approved by the FDA for numerous indications as treatment options for cancer, neurologic disorders, immunologic, and autoimmune diseases, to name a few. These monoclonal antibodies are administered either subcutaneously, usually self administered by patients or administered intravenously by a registered nurse…
In case you missed it, here’s a summary of IV tips posted on Twitter in February. Central Venous Catheters (CVC): All CVC should produce a free flowing brisk blood return upon aspiration without having the patient do shoulder/arm movements. o It is not acceptable if patients have to do shoulder and/or arm movements in order…
This week, I posted on Twitter an article I saw in the American Nurse Today about “Calculating IV drip rates with confidence”. For an infusion nurse, calculations of drip rates and drug concentration is a given with the nature of my job. I didn’t realize that some nurses don’t calculate rates or don’t even know…
…the Anne Mitchell way! If you have been following the “Winkler County nurses” trial, February 11 brought good news and great relief to Anne as the Texas jury acquits her of felony charges for “misuse of information”. If you haven’t heard about this case, click here. This case has caught the attention not only of…
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