Tips & tricks for Intravenous Cannulations

What is Intravenous therapy?

Almost all patients who get admitted to a hospital receive intravenous therapy, also known as IV therapy. It is one of the most basic treatment methods and all nurses have to know the process and be very skillful with inserting the intravenous catheter. If it is not inserted properly, a patient will face many issues. To help you insert the intravenous catheter perfectly, mentioned below are a few tips and tricks:

Always stay calm and prepared

Inserting the catheter perfectly at one go hugely depends on the skills and knowledge of the nurse. If either the nurse or the patient is not calm and tries to rush through the process, there are chances that the insertion will not be accurate. As a professional nurse, you should first ensure that the patient is comfortable and warm at the same time. This is crucial to make sure that vasoconstriction can be prevented. Also, you should check the patient’s history with IV therapy.

Appear Confident 

It is very important to appear confident during the intravenous insertion so that patient feels that he or she is in safe hands. If the patient notices that the nurse is nervous, the patient might feel stressed. 

Needle phobia

Many people may have needle phobia due to previous IV insertion experiences. Common symptoms of needle phobia include tachycardia and hypertension before the catheter is inserted. After insertion, there are often signs of bradycardia or a drop in blood pressure along with symptoms of diaphoresis, syncope, or pallor. To prevent it, the nurse must comfort the patient and keep the needle out of sight until the last moment. Topical anesthetics can also be used for managing these situations.

Take measures to avoid infection

During intravenous catheter insertion, always ensure that proper infection control measures are being taken. This means wearing sterile gloves at all times during the entire process. This is an invasive procedure and the chances of infection are always high. Proper sterile techniques and infection control measures should be followed. To ensure that the microorganisms around the insertion area are dead and the vein can be properly seen, a cotton swab or alcohol pad is used.

Feel the vein instead of just looking

If you are not being able to find the right vein, depend on your fingers instead of your eyes. With time, you will be able to familiarise yourself with the veins. Often, tendons feel like veins, but after palpating them you might find that it is not.

Choose the right cannula size

Ensure that you have the right cannula size. The needle and the IV cannula gauge should be compatible with the size of the patient. There are chances of injuring a patient if you hit a smaller vein with a larger needle.

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