I was wondering how other IV nurses check for patency on a line. I was approached by a nurse who contends that in order to be confident in a "brisk" blood return it should be 3ml or more. The idea is to then return the blood to the patient, i have never heard of a volume, just a brisk return, thoughts?
There is no evidence to support a need to withdraw 3 ml of blood. There are no stanadrds or guideline requiring this. There is no good definition of "brisk" and this word is not included in the INS standards of practice. You should withdraw blood to see that it is the color and consistency of whole blood and then flush this back in with the normal saline. Do not detach the syringe and discard this blood. This could easily lead to iatrogenic anemia! Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
126 Main Street, PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861