I teach IV Certification courses to RNs and LPNs in long term care facilities in PA, DE and MD. The supplies are sent from each individual facility's pharmacy. So I never know what I will get until I get there. They come in only their indiviual package- no box with the"instructions insert". I come across many different types and brands of needleless connectors. Rarely are they marked as to their type- Positive, Neutral or Negative displacement. It would be nice if the industry labelled them accordingly but they don't. The most common ones I know but there are soo many out there. Part of my course is flushing/clamping sequence for the supplies they use at their facility. Does anyone have any resource they use or have access to that lists or shows the different connectors and their displacement type? I have one sheet that has pictures of different connectors but it isn't recent and not all of them are on there.
Thanks for your help. I'm sure this would a good resource for others also.
Juline DiSilvestro RN, CRNI, VA-BC
Last November, the AJN published an article where I included a table with all brands and many factors about each. Here is the link to it:
Needleless Connectors for IV Catheters : AJN The American Journal of Nursing
Click on Article as PDF and you should be able to download the entire article.
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
Thanks Lynn- I printed it alittle while ago. The one I have been using has pictures of the different needleless connectors, I had to add their displacement, but it really helps. It is 3 years old and wanted an updated version. I'm not sure how to add attachments here but pictures always help. Your paper will work well with it.
thanks,
Juline
Juline DiSilvestro BSN, RN, CRNI, VA-BC, CPUI
Central Access Team Nurse
Inspira Medical Center- Woodbury,NJ