Anyone else having an anecdotally sudden increase in difficulty removing their needleless connectors? If so - let me know what brand.
We teach not to attach them too tightly initially, but I think what we're experiencing is something different.
Mari
Anyone else having an anecdotally sudden increase in difficulty removing their needleless connectors? If so - let me know what brand.
We teach not to attach them too tightly initially, but I think what we're experiencing is something different.
Mari
Are you cleaning the catheter hub with alcohol and then attaching the needleless connector before it dries? Alcohol acts as a solvent. So the plastic catheter hub could be softening, then the new connector is attached permanently to the softened hub. I have also seen povidone-iodine leaving a tacky film on the catheter hub and causing a similar situation. If hub cleaning is with CHG/IPA the same thing might be happening. You might emphasize allowing all cleaning solutions to thoroughly dry before attaching a new connector. Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
Our home health and hospice nurses where having a lot of difficulty removong the Nexus TKO that we were using with out injection caps. I thought they might be attaching them too tight but I had the same problem when I did consecutive visits sure I had not put it on tight. We have not had that problem at all since Nexus TKo is now bonded to the Clave injection cap.
Valorie Dunn,BSN, RN, CRNI, PLNC
when you say clave, do you mean the 'old' negative displacement Clave from ICU medical, or Microclave?
Re: letting IPA dry, good point. The interesting thing is that this just seems to have started happening over the last 2-3 months. I'm hoping that doesn't mean that nursing staff only started disinfecting the catheter hubs with NC changes only 3 months ago....
I know that the manufacturer of the NC that we use did have a design change recently, but we were told the change affected the distal end - near the luer threads where the syringe/administration set connect - not the hub end.
Mari Cordes, BS RNIII VA-BC
Vascular Access Department
University of Vermont Medical Center
yes the old negative clave but the valved piece that is attatched is why we are using it. you flush just like there is a positive or neutral cap attahed to it.
Valorie Dunn,BSN, RN, CRNI, PLNC
There is an exploded picture of the Nexus TKO device with a split septum device on top of it in the recent article on Needleless Connectors in Jan-Feb issue of JIN. Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
We almost did a product eval of TKO, so I'm familiar with the product.
Mari Cordes, BS RNIII VA-BC
Vascular Access Department
University of Vermont Medical Center
did you change yiour scrub the hub policy or product used to scrub the hub? Lynn asked that as well
kathy Kokotis RN BS MBA
Bard Access Systems
No changes for at least 2 years, and this has only been happening for 2-3 months.
Mari Cordes, BS RNIII VA-BC
Vascular Access Department
University of Vermont Medical Center
I also have just received a flurry of complaints re IV tubing stuck on the connector. We use MaxPlus valves.....no change there. Recent big push for increased time using alcohol scrub on the hub......suppose it could be that they're not allowing it to dry. Hadn't thought of that.