I.V. Products and Supplies for Therapy

IV or intravenous infusions are the introduction of fluid or medicated fluid into the veins or somethings into arteries or between the tissues of someone. I.V therapy can be performed for multiple reasons. It is very often used to introduce blood, drugs, or electrolytes when the body is deficient in something or requires a special treatment.

There are a wide range of different IV supplies. The standard I.V. supplies which are used to give intravenous therapy include a needled, a Peripheral line, a central line or another type of line. The central line is applied to a special and specific vein. hey have distinct advantages over the other types in that they can deliver fluids much more rapidly and they have a wider range of ability to supply fluid in that they can allow the application of several types of liquid at the very same time.

In addition, standard I.V. therapy will include a sterile container which holds or houses the fluid for administration. there will be an attachment or a pump that will help to regulate the flow and drop factor. There may also be a warmer or an inflatable cuff that is also used to ensure that the fluid is warmed slightly. In most cases thicker, more viscous fluids and items such as blood are supplied to the patient using this methodology.

The administration of intravenous fluids may at times cause some problems. There are one or two complications which can of course be prevented and there are several which cannot be. Of those, infection is the greatest concern when the skin is compromised. The risk of infection can be minimized by the use of new sterile supplies for every intravenous infusion, by cleansing the entire area around the insertion site. Inflammation of the veins, another complication of the IV therapy is something which must be watched for and treated immediately. While some complications are not able to be prevented in IV therapy, for the most part, IV therapy is safe and effective when necessary to give fluids or medications to a patient in a way that is immediately effective. In order to ensure that all I.V. therapy is effective and safe, the use of the best medical supplies and I.V. products is an absolute necessity. Hospital administration is responsible for ensuring the efficacy of intravenous products and medications as well as the supplies by which they are delivered. The hospitals today take great care in the ordering of supplies for I.V. therapy in order to ensure the health and safety of all patients.

The Dial-A-Flo

For some patients, a Dial-A-Flo will allow nursing staff to ensure that the proper drip rate is being achieved. In general, this dial will allow you to adjust the rate of flow from anywhere between 5ml – 250ml per hour.

The application of a Dial-A-Flo will require that you have a heparin lock and saline syringe ready to go. Begin by taking the heparin syringe prepared in advance. You will then be ready to connect the IV tubing to the Dial-A-Flo machine.

This is done by taking the Dial-A-Flo tubing and connecting it to the clear flat cap that can be found at the end of the IV tubing. You should remove the clear cap and twist it on. At this time, the flow should be set to off. Now, take the IV bag and remove the white tab. You can then remove the spike cover that will part of the tubing, ensuring you don’t make contact with the IV.

Now, take the spike, and place it into the bag’s port by twisting and pushing it into it. This can now be attached to the pole. Squeeze the drip chamber and release until the fluid line has been reached. Now, you can switch the Dial-A-Flo to the open position and allow the tubing to begin filling with the fluid, when it reaches the end, switch it back to the off position. You can now remove the clear cap from the IV tubing. Touching only the wings of the blunt cannula, you can remove it from the package and connect it with a twisting motion.

At this point, you would follow the directions of the medication that you will be giving to the patient to ensure that is has proper delivery at all times. Keeping in mind of course that the Dial-A-Flo may need different connections and settings based on the tubing that you are using. Because of that, you should continue to monitor the requirements that are in place per the issuing company.

This will be a powerful tool when you are delivering medications intravenously. Because of that, it is vital that the nursing staff that will be using it is trained on how to operate it successfully. This includes how to properly calibrate the unit. Just like any other device, there is still a margin of error that needs to be checked. Tubing and flow will all have an impact on its success. A good formula for doing this will be to monitor the number of drops per minute that the mechanism is allowing for. Divide this number by 12 and verify that is the number you have every 5 seconds, or you can divide it by 4 for 15 second counts.

Ensuring the proper delivery of medication will be important for the safety and the wellbeing of the patient.