Divina G.

Paragas Kristine Bustillo

BSN – III Instructor

IV THERAPY
1. Intravenous therapy is treatment that infuses intravenous solutions, medications, blood, or
blood products directly into a vein. Intravenous therapy is an effective and fast-acting
way to administer fluid or medication treatment in an emergency situation, and for
patients who are unable to take medications orally. And the nurse will start IV therapy
when the patient indicate fluid and electrolyte imbalance as evidenced by diarrhea,
vomiting, or blood loss.

2. The nursing responsibilities in handling a patient having intravenous therapy is to ensure

that patient receive care that is appropriate for the therapy, and regulate IV for at least 1
hour to ensure administration of proper IV fluid ordered, as well as monitoring and
evaluating the patient’s response to the IV therapy.

3. Intravenous catheter is a small, flexible tube designed to directly deliver and administers
IV medications and fluids to the patient.
Procedures:
 Find a good vein to insert the IV.
 Apply a tourniquet just a few inches above the site to get veins to swell up for easy IV
catheter insertion.
 Disinfect the area with an alcohol pad. Wipe gently but thoroughly, ensuring an even coat
of alcohol. This minimizes the chance of infection.
 Use the right size of catheter . Ensure the needle doesn’t touch anything other than the
patient’s skin. This can compromise their sterility and increase the risk of infection.
 Stabilize the patient’s limb with gentle pressure, taking care not to touch the IV site
directly.
 Remove the cap on the catheter and tightly pull the skin around the IV site. Insert the
needle with minimum angle (as parallel to the skin as possible).
 The flashback of blood in the catheter’s applicator will indicate that the vein has been hit,
advance the needle one more centimeter into the vein.
 Pull the needle back about 1 centimeter out of the vein. When the cannula is seated in the
vein, remove the tourniquet and put a sterile bandage over the lower half of the catheter
hub.
 Dispose the needle for the safety of everyone involved and remove the tourniquet to
prevent discomfort.
 Now apply a piece of tape to the area around the catheter while attaching the IV tubing.
Ensure there are no twists in the loop.
4. Common malpractice in IV therapy is IV infiltration in which occurs when IV fluid
medications leak into the surrounding tissue. However, common IV error occurs in the
negligent preparation and administration of the IV, such as administering an incorrect
dosage of drugs, administering drugs with an incorrect solution, and incorrect
computation of accurate gtts/min.

5. There can be complications in IV therapy if not administered properly, it includes:

 Phlebitis
- Inflammation of the vein. It occurs when the cannula is too large for the vein or if
it’s improperly secured.
 Extravasation
- This happens when the liquid in the IV leaks to the tissue surrounding the vein. It
can also be caused by inserting a cannula that’s too big for the patient.
 Air Embolism
- This happens when an air bubble (or air bubbles) enters the vein. It could be fatal
if not caught early, since the air can travel to the person’s brain, heart, or lungs.
 Hypervolemia
- This is an abnormal increase in blood volume.
 Infection
- If the IV line, port, or skin on the site of injection are not properly cleaned prior to
inserting the IV, the likelihood of infection increases.