How do you make an IV not hurt?
Table of Contents
How do you make an IV not hurt?
Try using a warm washcloth or towel wrapped around the patient’s arm to warm them up. This will also help dilate the veins. Your surgery center may have hot packs that you can use for these exact instances. If not, however, a warm washcloth works just as well.
How should a vein feel like that is suitable for venipuncture?
A suitable vein will be bouncy to the touch, have no pulse and refill when depressed. A hard vein indicates the vein is thrombosed, and should not be used for venepuncture (Dougherty and Lister 2015).
How can I make my IV better?
Now that vein selection is complete, the following tips and tricks for starting an IV are on how to make the vein more visible.
- Gravity is your friend.
- Use warm compress.
- Do not slap the vein.
- Flick or tap the vein.
- Feel the vein.
- Fist clenching.
- Use the multiple-tourniquet technique.
- Vein dilation using nitroglycerine.
Why can’t you draw blood from an IV?
Blood that is drawn from a vein that has an intravenous (IV) line may be diluted by the IV fluid. This can ultimately affect the accuracy of the blood test results. Therefore, an arm containing an IV should not be used to draw blood specimens if it can be avoided.
What are some troubleshooting issues in venipuncture?
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDELINES:
- Change the position of the needle.
- or move it backward (it may have penetrated too far).
- Adjust the angle (the bevel may be against the vein wall).
- Loosen the tourniquet.
- Try another tube.
- Re-anchor the vein.
How do you make an IV insert easier?
What happens when you start an IV in your hand?
If you are going to start an IV in the hand always have the patient pump their fist. This causes the veins to engorge and become visible. However, be careful if drawing blood for sensitive testing, as some newer research has shown that pumping the fist could alter things like potassium levels.
What if you can’t find veins on a patient?
What if you can’t find veins on a patient, yet you need to start an IV, draw blood, or perform other venipuncture procedures? This happens more often than you’d think, and even seasoned nurses struggle to find veins in patients who are obese, dehydrated, or suffering from advanced renal or heart disease.
Is it difficult to draw blood as a nurse?
Most new nurses find that starting IVs and drawing blood can be a difficult task to perform at first. When I was a new nurse I had difficulty finding a vein to draw blood from and to start an IV in, and if I did find a vein I often missed it. This caused frustration and I actually thought I would never figure it out.
How do you find a vein without a tourniquet?
If you can already see and feel the vein without a tourniquet, don’t use one. Dangle the patient’s arm at their side with the tourniquet on! If you are having trouble finding a vein dangle the arm. This will cause increase resistance on the vein and puff them up so you can stick them. Use heat!