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Cindy McIlhinney
Using arm that has had a radial artery harvested

Does anyone have any documentation regarding when it is OK to use an arm for PIV once the radial artery has been harvested? I have several different opinions but I am looking for evidence based facts.

Thanks in advance for any information

Cindy McIlhinney RNC

lynncrni
Go to my website -
Go to my website - www.hadawayassociates.com, click on Clinical Articles, then navigate to the list of Archived Articles. You will find this article Infusion Therapy In The Arm With Radial Artery Harvesting. This was published a few years ago in JAVA. I have not looked at recent studies but this will give you some basic information. 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

DML RN
Cindy- I've searched for a

Cindy-

I've searched for a bit and didn't find anything either. Could you let me know if you come up with anything?

Here's how our CV surgeons do things. If a patient has a PIV in the hand that will have the radial harvested,pre-op and anesthesia might use it until the patient is out and they have the IJ and groin lines in. Then they D/C the PIV,mainly for reasons of sterility during the harvesting. Once the patient gets down to the ICU,they don't have a problem with PIV's on the harvest side from that point on.

Since the radial veins are taken with the artery,I can understand your CV surgeons' concerns--there are plenty of little collateral or "feeder" veins that get clipped during the harvest and so anything run in from a PIV could conceivably extravasate through the cut end of a vein.

 

Cindy McIlhinney
Thanks David I am looking

Thanks David

I am looking for safe practice recommendations for using the arm

after it has had a radial artery harvested and has compleatly healed.

I had 1 CV surgeon say 6 months, 1 say 1month, and 1 say never use the extremity for PIV placement.

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