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…
Why is it that patients, as well as others who work in our industry, even doctors and nurses, think that infusion nurses do the same job as phlebotomists? Is it because both do venipunctures? Such sterotype and it’s time to stop thinking they are even remotely similar. 1. An infusion nurse (aka IV nurse) is not…
Here’s a conversation I’ve had with an RN preparing to give a weight based medication via a peripheral IV: I don’t weigh the patient each time they come in for an infusion. I only weigh them at the beginning of their treatment to get a baseline weight. Why should I weigh them again, they can…
Originally posted on Infusion Nurse Blog:
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…
Nearly 53 million outpatient procedures are performed annually in the United States. While most of these procedures occur in hospital outpatient departments, a growing number are being done in nonhospital-based facilities such as ambulatory surgery centers and physician offices. One of these procedures include infusion therapy, the administration of fluids and medications via the venous…
Q: I read your post about priming volume vs. residual volume and I have a question. We give infusions of IV meds in a physician’s office. Is it better to prime the tubing with saline or prime the tubing with drug after it is added to the IV bag? A: First of all, thank you…
Greetings my dear colleagues!! I recently recorded a short podcast with the Infusion Nurses Society and is now available on line. Hope you’ll find a few minutes to listen in. Thanks! Recommendations for Improving Safety Practices with Short Peripheral Catheters Despite the frequent use of short peripheral catheters (SPCs) in all health care settings, education…
According to the National Health Statistics, in 2007 the total number of physician office visits approached one billion. I know that number is so 2007, but imagine how many that would be now that 2014 is almost over. Many of us have visited a physician’s office at least once if not more this year and will…
This is an updated version of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) hazardous drugs list. So what’s new in this current update? The text for the update to the 2014 list was updated and expanded to reflect the complexity of safe handling issues that have arisen over the past few years. This…
Q: Do you have any tips on how to improve my IV insertion skills? A: This is one of the FAQ and often comes from new blog readers. I have blogged about this many times before but I thought I’d post it again. To some of my long time readers, this may not be new…
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