Positively bloody!

….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…

What? Seriously?

I’ve had conversations with several RN colleagues that left me saying, are you serious? I hesitated writing about this but I thought I’d share so we can all learn and avoid doing the same. 1. Whatever happened to those “multi-use” syringes? That’s crazy that I can’t reuse syringes when I’m just drawing up medication for…

FIVE Year Blog Anniversary Gift

To celebrate the “FIVE” year blog anniversary and to thank you for your continued support, I am giving away “FIVE” free registrations to  a web seminar on September 18, 2014 entitled:  A Closer Look at Peripheral IVs Description Intravenous therapy via a peripheral IV (PIV) catheter is one of the common IV procedures performed by…

Looking for RNs to take a SURVEY!

If you are a registered nurse currently working with/delegating/supervising “unlicensed healthcare personnel” (UHCP) also known as “unlicensed assistive personnel” (UAP), would you be interested in answering a short survey related to the use of unlicensed healthcare personnel in the provision of infusion therapy? The survey is open to US registered nurses from all healthcare settings who work…

Q&A: BP cuff for vein distention

Q: I am a new RN and was always told that I can use a BP cuff to distend the veins for IV starts instead of a tourniquet. Can you tell me how high should I pump the cuff? A:  BP cuff is one method that can be used for vein distention while assessing veins…

INS Exhibit Hall 2014 – Part 2 New PIV Technology

Don’t you just hate it when you stick a perfectly good vein  and end up going through the vein? Can you tell when the tip of the needle and the tip of the catheter have entered the vein to know when to advance the catheter into the vein? As I always do, here’s my disclaimer…

Exhibit Hall Experience INS 2014

At every INS Annual Meeting, the exhibit hall is the one of the highlights of the week.  I am very grateful to all the vendors who were there whether they had something new to show or not because their products contribute greatly to patient care and safety. Their willingness to educate nurses is always appreciated.…