CVME Insider: Nursing Knowledge That Matters

Infusion Therapy is a growing industry and we have more and more patients going home with implanted ports, temporary dialysis catheters, and other types of Central Venous Catheters (CVC).  We get many questions regarding the scope of LVN's/LPN's and what they can and cannot do in regards to infusion therapy. For the sake of this article we will use the term Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) as this is what they are referred to here in California.  However, most states still refer to an LVN as and LPN or Licensed Practical Nurse.  That is another discussion in its entirety. California is one of the only states that we know of at this time that requires LVN's to gain an IV Certification in order to perform IV Therapy .  Pedagogy has a great link that one may use as a resource to determine what an LVN can and cannot do in regards to infusion therapy . Here is California it is illegal for a Medical Assistant (MA) to start an IV or even access a central ...

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...