Time flies when you’re having fun!!! This week, the Infusion Nurse Blog is celebrating its two year blog anniversary!!! *throws confetti* As I said before and again this year, sometimes I still feel like I don’t have anything interesting to blog about. But I am very encouraged, grateful and honored because you have continued to…
In response to a question from a former ER nurse who now works for a physician office providing infusion services, I came upon this guide from the CDC. The question is why should infection control practices in a physician’s office differ from those in the hospital? In particular, this nurse was appalled that the physician…
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…
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…
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…
Here are replies to questions I received either on twitter or FB. I thought I’d blog about it in the spirit of sharing and learning. “What do you think about using “nitroglycerin” ointment to help find veins for IV starts?” There are literature supporting the use of nitroglycerin ointment for dilating veins prior to venipuncture…
Unlike the “Forever” stamps from the US Post Office, we should not keep using multi-dose vials until the vial is empty. Multi-dose vials are to be discarded 28 days after first use, unless the manufacturer specifies otherwise (shorter or longer), according to the Joint Commission Medication Management Standards FAQ about multi-dose vials. So you say,…
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 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…
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