For years now there has been a lot of discussion about IV Securement. I have found the cost of the Stat Lock and the Grip Lock to be very expensive in driving up costs and the products very difficult to work with and remove from patients. While they do hold somewhat, I think the negatives out weigh the positives as they tend to tear patients skin and cause nurses other problems depending on their placement.
Now comes along a series of new IV Securement Dressings which help provide excellent holding power especially on peripherals without the cost of a securement device. These dressings have worked quite well when properly applied without any of the difficulty of removal that one encounters with securement devices such as stat lock and grip lock. The key here is to follow the manufacturers recommended application and make sure the prep has dried for a couple of minutes, that the patient has no lotion on and to Rub the dressing into the skin to activate the adhesive.
These IV Securement dressings have proved to be of significant advantage compared to plain transparent dressings while only adding about 15-20 cents VS. $3.00-$4.00 for a securement device like stat lock or grip lock. It is well worth every clinicians time to investigate these dressings as according to the FDA, they are in the same class as a stat lock device without extension sets.