The following pages will give you some basic information and help you perform procedures related to your therapy. Not all the information may relate to you and your treatment. Please understand that this is general information, and in certain situations, you may have individualized needs. In every case, if you receive information from your health care provider that is different, please follow their recommendations.
We recommend seeking professional instructions for certain procedures so that the doctor or nurse can verify that you are performing them correctly. Procedures such as sterile dressing changes, injections, use of butterfly needles, and others require a certain amount of expertise and you can injure yourself or cause an infection if you have not been taught to perform them correctly.
Handwashing
Infections in patients that have an IV access (PICC lines, ports or peripheral IVs) can be very serious, even life threatening. Handwashing is the one thing you can do that is most effective in preventing infections. We recommend following the following guidelines, endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Turn the faucet on and … Continue Reading →
Flushing Your IV Access
There are many different protocols for flushing your IV access and this depends on several factors. What type of line do you have (PICC line, port, peripheral line?) How are you using your line – continuously or intermittently? Is it one lumen or two? What type of catheter is it? What solutions does your doctor … Continue Reading →
Using Your Swabcap
Central Line Dressing Change
A central line (PICC, port, Hickman or other tunneled catheter) dressing change is a sterile procedure. Because of this, we strongly recommend that you receive training by a healthcare professional familiar with central line care and maintenance. There are many subtle ways a sterile surface can become contaminated, which puts you at risk for blood … Continue Reading →
Elastomeric Pumps
Also known as “homeballs,” “ball pumps,”or “grenade pumps.” An elastomeric pump is a device that infuses medication once the tubing is unclamped. Built with an elastic balloon inside a very tough outer cover, the device pushes intravenous medication through tubing and a filter that is attached to the reservoir. The pharmacy fills the devices with your … Continue Reading →
Spiking Your IV Bag
You will need to attach a tubing to your IV bag in order to infuse your solution or medication. This is called “spiking” the bag. Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions for how often you should use new tubing. In general, if you are infusing continuously, you should change your tubing every three days (except for … Continue Reading →
Using Your Vial-Mates
Activating and Using Your addEASE
Check to make sure your addEASE connector is firmly attached to the vial and the IV bag and has not yet been activated. #1 To activate squeeze or flex the IV bag firmly while holding with the vial down. You may see a small white plug in the vial as the liquid begins to go … Continue Reading →
Administering Your IV Infusion
Your IV medications are ordered to be given a certain way by your physician. Sometimes, medication is ordered to be infused with an elastomeric pump. If this is your situation, please see the instructions specific to this device. In some situations, the IV may be controlled by the roller clamp. Just adjust the clamp up … Continue Reading →
Capping Your IV Line
If you are receiving more than one infusion throughout the day, you may use the same IV tubing, with some provisions. The medication you infuse through the same line must be the same. If you are infusing different medications, then you will need to use a different tubing for each one. You may not use … Continue Reading →