One of the major functions of a nurse is to insert IV lines on patients. This should be done perfectly but experienced nurses may still encounter or face problems like a blown vein. In order to minimize patient discomfort and overall productivity of a nurse, here are some useful tips to lessen or eliminate those errors.
- Assess the veins– Look for a good vein by palpating the arm or area with your fingers. Choose the larger and straight vein as this will be able to accommodate large bore catheters.
- Go for the correct size of the catheter– To be safe and avoid a blown small vein otherwise, use a small one. Gauge 22 is ideal for adult patients while gauges 22-26 catheters for pediatric patients.
- Check application of tourniquet– Sometimes the blood flow is being affected by how the tourniquet was applied. BP cuffs can also be used on chemo or elderly patients wherein their veins are very fragile.
- Bevel position– Make sure that the bevel of the needle is facing upwards as this is much easier to see where the tip enters the skin. Plus you can control on the angle of insertion when you see the bevel.
- Anchoring a vein– This is to keep an unstable vein from moving. With your non-dominant hand, hold the skin and vein tautly as you insert the needle slowly.
- Check your angle– Adjusting the angle of the needle’s approach will definitely make an impact on the vein. Ideal angle is 15 to 30 degrees. To reduce puncturing the two vein walls, vein catheter should be inserted on top of the target vein. Read more:
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