Q: If I don’t get a blood return when checking a PIV for patency before administering an IV, does that make it unsafe to proceed? A: While verification of a blood return on a short peripheral IV is the common way to check for patency, sometimes, it is difficult to obtain a blood return in…
In the past, we have routinely replaced peripheral IV catheters every 48-72hours. Since INS 2011 Standard for Infusion Nursing revised it to site rotation based on clinical indications, PIV site assessment is even more important now. So how frequent should you assess the patient’s peripheral IV site? According to the latest Position Paper from the Infusion…
Nurses know that phlebitis is the inflammation of the vein and is considered an adverse patient outcome. Vascular access sites should be routinely assessed for signs and symptoms of phlebitis , as well as the severity of phlebitis. According to the Infusion Nurses Society(INS) Standards of Practice, a standardized scale that is valid, reliable, and…
It is amazing when you meet someone and they find out you are a nurse (infusion nurse), they start asking a lot of health related questions. Honestly, I don’t mind and I am grateful that most people I meet know what “infusion therapy” is, although a few are still confused that it means…blood draw!! 😦…
This is a follow-up to my previous post “When an infusion nurse gets an IV”. Many have asked about what “phlebitis grade 2” meant. Phlebitis is defined as the inflammation of the vein and is considered an adverse patient outcome. The Infusion Nurses Society’s infusion nursing standards of practice (2006) provides a uniform standard scale…
It is not easy when a nurse is on the receiving end as the patient. Today I had an IV started in my right forearm for an outpatient procedure. Nothing serious, just a screening procedure highly recommended when one reaches a certain birth number. I was a bit anxious but when the pre-op nurse started…
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