Flushing an IV line: A simple but potentially costly procedure for both patient and health unit
Karen Wotton
PhD Candidate; Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide SA
Lee-Anne Gassner
Research Assistant, Office of Clinical Nursing Research, Flinders Medical Centre, Flinders University, SA
Eileen Ingham
Lecturer, School of Nursing, Flinders University of South Australia, SA
PP: 264 - 273
Abstract
This observational study investigated the Intravenous (IV) medication administration technique of Registered Nurses (n=47) using the injection port of a concurrent intravenous infusion.
Study findings showed that the majority of nurses adhered to the most common although debatable recommended guideline in stopping the concurrent infusion and slowly administering the medication in the syringe over 3-5 minutes, prior to flushing the line quickly. Nurses failed to account for the dead space in the IV line when calculating the administration rate for pre and post medication flush. Similarly, the benefits of continuing the concurrent infusion when administering intravenous medication were not taken into consideration.
Based upon these study findings, we recommend changes to procedural guidelines for IV medication.
Keywords
intravenous medication administration; dead space; patency; flushing
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