I am interested any information related to sending patient out with a peripheral lock. I work in a ambulatory infusion center and some of the patients receive infusions over a couple of days. I would like to know if heparin is used for flushing device or if saline is sufficient to maintain patency. I need to develop policy and would appreciate any input. Thanks.
See Infusion Nursing Standards of Practice # 45. Preservative free sodium chloride 0.9% is the recommended flushing and locking solution for a short peripheral catheter. 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
I work in an outpatient infusion center, use 24G needles almost exclusively, and flush with saline. I almost never have a problem, and most lines last 3 - 4 days if not longer depending on the drug given.
Gail McCarter, RN, CRNI, VA-BC
Franklin NH
Gail McCarter, BSN,CRNI
Franklin, NH
I work in homecare. I understand that the INS Standards for flushing a peripheral catheter are for saline alone. When we started adopting these standards several years back we saw an increased incidence in infiltrated lines. Admittedly, a lot depended on what we were infusing and how often. We went back to a standard protocol of adding heparin to our peripheral lines and our outcomes were again consistent with what we were desiring.
Ellen James, RN, CNS, CRNI, MS
VNA Colorado
[email protected]
Ellen, this is a little odd to me because the agent used for flushing has no bearing on the incidence of infiltration, at all. Whether you are using saline or heparin for flushing and/or locking will neither cause not present infiltration. Flushing technique - too forceful or rapid pushing of the fluids from a 3 mL syringe could add to the risk of infiltration by causing trauma to the vein wall. Saline may have added to the incidence of occluded lumens but that was probably related to flushing technique and the chosen needleless 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