Author Question: A nurse prepares to flush a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line with 50 units of ... (Read 82 times)

geoffrey · **on:** Jun 25, 2018

A nurse prepares to flush a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line with 50 units of heparin. The pharmacy supplies a multi-dose vial of heparin with a concentration of 100 units/mL.

Which of the syringes shown below should the nurse use to draw up and administer the heparin?

Question 2

A medical-surgical nurse is concerned about the incidence of complications related to IV therapy, including bloodstream infection. Which intervention should the nurse suggest to the management team to make the biggest impact on decreasing complications?

a. Initiate a dedicated team to insert access devices.
b. Require additional education for all nurses.
c. Limit the use of peripheral venous access devices.
d. Perform quality control testing on skin preparation products.

Tabitha_2016 · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: D
Always use a 10-mL syringe when flushing PICC lines because a smaller syringe creates higher pressure, which could rupture the lumen of the PICC.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: A
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends having a dedicated IV team to reduce complications, save money, and improve client satisfaction and outcomes. In-service education would always be helpful, but it would not have the same outcomes as an IV team. Limiting IV starts to the most experienced nurses does not allow newer nurses to gain this expertise. The quality of skin preparation products is only one aspect of IV insertion that could contribute to infection.