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FEBRuARY 2015 | O U T PAT I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T
• Re: "Give Your IV Needles a
Slight Bend" (December,
page 19). Our recommenda-
tion to bend IV needle
catheters about 15 degrees to
aid the placement of the IV
catheter into a vein could do
more harm than good. Since
the passage of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000, most of the IV
catheters used in the developed world today have safety mechanisms to cover the
needle after use to prevent needlestick injuries. Bending the needle in the IV
catheter can disable the safety mechanism before the IV catheter is even placed.
Plus, if bent too far, the needle could also kink or break, presenting potential com-
plications to the procedure or an increased hazard to the patient. The IV catheter dis-
played in the photo above is a BD Insyte Autoguard that has specific instructions in
the Instructions for Use labeling that state, "
DO NOT BEND THE NEEDLE WHILE USING THE PRODUCT."
z DO NOT BEND Bending the needle in the IV
catheter can disable the safety mechanism.
Rich
Taylor,
MSN,
RN,
QDDP
Why It's Not Good to Bend IV Catheters
