See previous postings about this issue. A KVO order is not a legal order because it is not complete and there really is no such thing as one rate that will work on every catheter and every vein. Lynn
We tried to review this issue. We found in a survey that staff nurses are all over the map from 5ml/hr to 75 ml/hr. We tried to do a study, but it was not really set up very well.
End result: we don't know what KVO means. I agree that it is not a legal order. We tried to get the docs and nurses to agree on what would work. We hoped to get a number that would not increase occlusion rates and would keep the vein (or cental line) open. If we could have gotten better info from the study, we would have pursued by getting the medical staff agreeing on a specific number (via protocol) that KVO means x ml/hour, whenever KVO is ordered.
Much work needs to be done before this becomes a physician approved set rate for KVO
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 tried to review this issue. We found in a survey that staff nurses are all over the map from 5ml/hr to 75 ml/hr. We tried to do a study, but it was not really set up very well.
End result: we don't know what KVO means. I agree that it is not a legal order. We tried to get the docs and nurses to agree on what would work. We hoped to get a number that would not increase occlusion rates and would keep the vein (or cental line) open. If we could have gotten better info from the study, we would have pursued by getting the medical staff agreeing on a specific number (via protocol) that KVO means x ml/hour, whenever KVO is ordered.
Much work needs to be done before this becomes a physician approved set rate for KVO
Hope this helps.
Gwen Irwin
Austin, Texas