The Use Of Huber Needles

There are circumstances that arise when patients need to have a venous access available for such procedures as medications, blood products, drawing of blood, and total parenteral nutrition. Such illnesses as cancer, kidney disease, leukemia or problems that would require more than 6 weeks of venous access, may require the insertion of an implanted device. The venous access ports are surgically implanted in the chest and are accessed through the chest wall with a Huber needle.

The Huber needles are available in a variety of sizes to accommodate different patients. These Huber infusion sets are available from 19g x 3/4" size to 22g x 1" size. The needle set is latex free, so will not be a concern if a patient is admitted with a latex allergy. The fact they have a new needle hub and a wing design, offers greater security and accuracy when accessing the venous port site with the Huber needle. The set has an 11" micro bore tubing with a Y site, for when the patient is connected to infusions. This makes it more convenient for the patient and the nurses. These Huber needles come 25/box.

Always follow the protocol of the facility when using the implanted central port. Aseptic technique should always be used when caring for or accessing the venous port. The port should only be accessed by a registered nurse or physician. A Huber needle can be left in place for as long as 7 days after insertion, if there are no complications.

Prior to accessing the port with the Huber needle, always wash your hands with antibacterial soap and put on sterile medical gloves. Palpate the patient's chest in order to locate the needle port. Usually you can easily feel the port under the skin. Approximately the size of a quarter, the port will feel firm around the edges with a soft spongy center. After locating the port, follow the protocol of the facility, prepare a clean work area, prepare the Huber needle, clean the port site, insert the Huber needle and secure and cover the needle and site. Always document the gauge and length of the Huber needle used for access in the medical record.

One of the biggest benefits is that the implanted venous port allows for long term access and has the lowest incidence of blood borne infections. Although the port may have been inserted for the patient to receive chemotherapy, it can also be used for other things, such as antibiotics or blood. After use of the port is completed, remove the Huber needle per protocol. Again, always use sterile technique, flush the port per protocol, before you remove the needle.

The complications of the implanted port can include infiltration, skin breakdown, infection, occlusions, thrombus formation or catheter fracture. After assessing the port site, notify the physician and do not access the port if the site is red, tender, swelled or warm to touch.

The Huber needle is the only needle that is used to access the implanted venous port. Always check the site per facility protocol as long as the site is accessed with the Huber needle. Always use sterile technique when accessing or discontinuing a Huber needle, this cannot be stressed enough. The central venous implanted port allows the patient more freedom with daily life and is easy to maintain for hospital or home therapy.

IV Pharmacy Products

While we know the more traditional pharmacy products that can be found, there will occasionally be I.V. products that these facilities will carry. They are usually provided to patients who will have IV treatment in their homes and many of these pieces can be packaged individual or as part of an IV set.

When choosing pharmacy products, you need to determine practicality of each item, in addition to what the standard IV treatment of the patient will call for. After all, many I.V. products will have a limited shelf life and you don’t want to overbuy a product that you won’t be able to use in a reasonable amount of time.

Although an IV set might be the right choice for certain items, you may also want to consider some of the individual options you will have access to. These will ensure that you have enough of a particular item to ensure that proper IV treatment can be administered. Some of the most common will be:

• Dispensing spikes                  
• Double ended medication transfer needles   
• Filtration products                  
• Injection ports             
• IV base rings              
• IV medication labels   
• Sharps containers      

There may be other I.V. products you need for proper administration, so be sure that you take your patient’s needs into consideration as you shop for the best pharmacy products for them. This is because certain medications will need different lines to administer their drugs properly.

An IV set will also be very important and shouldn’t be overlooked when you are purchasing supplies. These products will usually contain everything from adapters to claves. You will need to pay close attention to the collection you are purchasing though. As there are administration sets and extension sets that can be purchased that will contain different I.V. products in them.

Above all, you should be doing all you can to prevent illness and injury when you use an IV. This means you should ensure that you refrain from reusing the same needles and accessories and that you have enough clean and sterile products to handle enough treatments until your next shipment arrives. That way, there is never a concern with running out and you don’t make an already ill patient worse off, because you have reused contaminated medical equipment to continue their treatment.

Every company that specializes in pharmacy products will have their own unique collection of options. It will be important that you take the time to review the offerings of each company and choose a location that can give you the full set of pharmacy products that you will need. By doing that, you are able to simplify your purchasing needs and ensure that you maintain the same level in quality between bags, lines and needles.

Necessary Pharmacy Supplies for Daily Use

Pharmacies can be located in retail environments, medical facilities or even have their main storefront on the internet. But no matter where they operate out of, they will need to have quality pharmacy supplies.

Typically, the pharmacy will be staffed with trained individuals who are able to ensure that local and federal laws and regulations are being met. While the main focus of the pharmacy will be to distribute medications that a physician has written a prescription for, they may be asked to provide patients with additional items for their healthcare needs.

One example is the compounding pharmacy. The pharmacist in these facilities will blend together medications based on the specific orders of a doctor and ensure that they are producing the highest quality medications possible. The compound medication will be delivered typically in a crème or liquid form, based on the best treatment option for the ailment they are being designed for.

This will mean that the pharmacysupplies for this medical facility will include a dispenser for the medications, the crème or liquid that the medication will be compounded into. Weights and scales to ensure the right amount of medications is being distributed will also be important. In a more traditional setting, the needs of the pharmaceutical staff will likely be different. In these cases, things like pill counters, drug security products, medication labeling and even serum vials will all be necessary to have in place. With these items, they can ensure that they are distributing medications in the safest manner possible.

Of course, some medications are extremely volatile to temperatures. It is because of this that there may be a need to have a storage unit that will provide temperature control. Similar to a refrigerator, these units are designed to ensure that a constant set temperature is maintained for certain medications, while reducing the risk of contamination.

It will be important that with all the different pharmacy supplies that the staff be trained to ensure that they are using them accordingly. While things like pill counters can make the process of sorting pills easier, they still need to be checked and verified to ensure that the dose being issued to patients is correct. After all, their lives may depend on the right amount of dosing being used.

Finally, all pharmacies should have security and cameras in place to ensure that their products remain safe. This brings up the last set of pharmacy supplies that should be used. Since there are medications that can be abused or tampered with, pharmacists should ensure that locks and other security devices are in place to reduce the risks to patients, while protecting the costly investments that some of the prescription pills have associated with them.

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.