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betes, or a long history of frequent IV catheter placements for delivery of fluids
and medications as notoriously difficult sticks.
Ms. Blanton's ophthalmic-only center has 8 pre-op bays where patients for 2
high-volume surgeons are prepped for surgery with only oral Versed. One device
is enough for the staff to share when it's needed, although Ms. Blanton says
they'd need additional units if they started IVs on every patient.
Experienced nurses are good at assessing a patient's arm and asking for help
from a colleague with known IV starting skills if they're not confident they can
get the job done on their own, says Ms. Aiken. "A lot of them know to not let
pride get in the way of proper patient care," says Ms. Aiken. "When it comes to
starting IVs, some days are better than others."
Now they can also reach for the device that gives them added confidence in
spotting those difficult-to-locate veins. "It's just another tool in the arsenal to
help our nurses," says Ms. Aiken.
OSM
E-mail dcook@outpatientsurgery.net.
