Trisphee - View Single Post

Quiet Man Cometh · Posted 11-22-2013, 11:13 PM

Random IV and needle info! (From the perspective of a patient)

Okay, so here's what I know from dealing with needles and gunk. The speed of an IV flow is determined in parts by the pump that you have as well as the gauge (size) of the needle. A needle will only allow so much fluid to pass through it at one time, so bigger needle means faster IV run. If you don't have an IV pump, you can hang the bag and use gravity drip (not always safe depending on what you are infusing) or you can squish the bag to get stuff to move faster.

What you are infusing also needs to be taken into account. Infusing certain vitamins and such (eg. Potassium) can shock your system badly if infused too fast so it needs to be done over time, several hours in some cases. Normal saline you can run pretty fast without danger, so long as the vein can support the IV speed.

How fast you can run an IV and how big a needle you can use is determined as well by the veins you are dealing with. I have a vascular disease, so my veins can get inflamed and bruise easily so I usually have a smaller needle used when I get a blood test. I was on hemodialysis for several years. This meant several large gauge needles a week and in order to support the needle size they have to surgically implant a special tube or create a larger vein called an AV fistula (takes time to develop). I had a fistula and it was normal to use 15 gauge needles. These are slightly larger than what you would use for a lip piercing (I asked when a relative was getting a lip ring ;)). I think a standard blood work needle size is around 22 gauge, but I'm not positive.

Large veins can support larger needles but they are more exposed to damage, and can cause a lot bigger problems if they get bruised or burst.

You have to be careful with putting in an IV because if you damage the vein going in, the vein can/will swell and the IV won't work. (This happened to me in hospital). Yes, going through the bottom of a vein sucks. You can back the needle up and not hurt things too much, but it's an ugly feeling.

That's what comes to mind right now, just for general information. ;)

		#880	Quiet Man Cometh We're all mad here.
Random IV and needle info! (From the perspective of a patient) Okay, so here's what I know from dealing with needles and gunk. The speed of an IV flow is determined in parts by the pump that you have as well as the gauge (size) of the needle. A needle will only allow so much fluid to pass through it at one time, so bigger needle means faster IV run. If you don't have an IV pump, you can hang the bag and use gravity drip (not always safe depending on what you are infusing) or you can squish the bag to get stuff to move faster. What you are infusing also needs to be taken into account. Infusing certain vitamins and such (eg. Potassium) can shock your system badly if infused too fast so it needs to be done over time, several hours in some cases. Normal saline you can run pretty fast without danger, so long as the vein can support the IV speed. How fast you can run an IV and how big a needle you can use is determined as well by the veins you are dealing with. I have a vascular disease, so my veins can get inflamed and bruise easily so I usually have a smaller needle used when I get a blood test. I was on hemodialysis for several years. This meant several large gauge needles a week and in order to support the needle size they have to surgically implant a special tube or create a larger vein called an AV fistula (takes time to develop). I had a fistula and it was normal to use 15 gauge needles. These are slightly larger than what you would use for a lip piercing (I asked when a relative was getting a lip ring ;)). I think a standard blood work needle size is around 22 gauge, but I'm not positive. Large veins can support larger needles but they are more exposed to damage, and can cause a lot bigger problems if they get bruised or burst. You have to be careful with putting in an IV because if you damage the vein going in, the vein can/will swell and the IV won't work. (This happened to me in hospital). Yes, going through the bottom of a vein sucks. You can back the needle up and not hurt things too much, but it's an ugly feeling. That's what comes to mind right now, just for general information. ;) Tea?
	Posted 11-22-2013, 11:13 PM