CVME Insider: Nursing Knowledge That Matters

The CDC 2011 Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections CDC Recommendations In patients not receiving blood, blood products or fat emulsions, replace administration sets that are continuously used, including secondary sets and add-on devices, no more frequently than at 96-hour intervals, [ 177 ] but at least every 7 days [ 178–181 ]. Category IA No recommendation can be made regarding the frequency for replacing intermittently used administration sets. Unresolved issue No recommendation can be made regarding the frequency for replacing needles to access implantable ports. Unresolved issue Replace tubing used to administer blood, blood products, or fat emulsions (those combined with amino acids and glucose in a 3-in-1 admixture or infused separately) within 24 hours of initiating the infusion [ 182–185 ]. Category IB Replace tubing used to administer propofol infusions every 6 or 12 hours, when the vial is changed, per the manufacturer’s r...

Retraction Notice--It was brought to our attention that this article had been published with an error and as such we have retracted the original article and replaced it with this article that has the current and up to date information.  If you would like a copy of the previous article with the errors to compare, please contact us at info@central-valley-med.com Infusion Therapy is an awesome wonder when it comes to saving a patient’s life.  Is it really necessary to give a patient a Colloid versus a Crystalloid? Trauma burns or surgery can cause people to lose large amounts of blood. Fluid replacement, giving fluids intravenously (into a vein) to replace lost blood, is used to try to maintain blood pressure and reduce the risk of dying. Blood products, non-blood products or combinations are used, including colloid or crystalloid solutions. Colloids are increasingly used but they are more expensive than crystalloids and there are many scientific studies that show no e...

  Needleless devices are used for connecting to IV catheters , administration sets, and/or syringes.   They were introduced in the 1990s for the purpose of reducing the risk of needlestick injuries among health care providers.    However, in 2000 the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act mandated that all employers provider these devices as they have shown to reduce needlestick injuries significantly.   On the other hand; their use has been associated with an increase in complications such as catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) and catheter lumen occlusion. The reason for these complications are not totally understand and efforts to study their design, user knowledge, poor clinical practices have gotten underway to help reduce or eliminate these complications. The Food and Drug Administration is requiring nine companies to conduct a post market study on positive displacement needleless conne...