Equipment 8-432 - Intravascular (IV) Needle

Polk, Hickory, Cedar, & St Clair EMS Protocols

Scope of Practice:

• Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
• Registered Nurse
• Paramedic

Indications:

• Any patient requiring IV medications.

Contraindications:

• None.

Precautions:

• Avoid venipuncuture in arms with dialysis shunts or distal to injuries.

Procedure:

• Inform patient of procedure.
• Apply Tourniquet.
• Select and clean site. Preferred needle size is 18 to 20. Preferred site is left AC or (secondary) right AC. The following patients should have at least an 18 ga at the AC level or more proximal:
• Calf pain, tenderness, or swelling,
• Chest pain,
• Hypotension,
• Shortness of breath,
• Syncope,
• Tachycardia, or
• Tachypnea.
• Stabilize vein.
• Pass needle into vein with bevel up, noting blood "flash."
• Advance needle 2 mm more.
• Slide catheter over needle into vein.
• Remove needle.
• Hold pressure over distal tip of catheter to prevent blood loss.
• Perform Blood Draw if indicated.
• Remove Tourniquet.
• Flush with NS to ensure placement. Use pigtail extension.
• Secure with dressing.

CMH PHS Mission: "Provide safe, exceptional, and compassionate care to our communities with an emphasis on highly trained and empowered staff."

Polk, Hickory, Cedar, & St Clair County EMS Protocols by Theron Becker is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.