The Benefits Of IV Therapy

Intravenous Therapy, also known as IV therapy, is the administration of fluids or medications directly into the vein. It is one of the most common procedures that nurses encounter in a healthcare setting on a routinely basis. According to Ogston-Tuck (2012), “…80 % of hospital patients are likely to receive some forms of IV therapy”(Ogston-Tuck, 2012). Therefore, it is exceptionally vital for nurses to be aware and knowledgeable of the indications, vascular access devices, potential complications that may arise from IV therapy, and prevention of those complications. This will permit and allow nurses to provide safe and quality care to patients.
Indications
IV therapy may be initiated for various reasons. Problems with gut absorption, delivery
The complications may include local (near the IV insertion site) or systemic (within the vascular system) complications. Hinkle and Cheever (2014) noted that local complications are more common to occur than systemic complications. However, systemic complications may pose an extreme danger to the patient’s health and wellbeing. Air embolism, infections, and circulatory overload are systemic complications. For instance, a patient may have heart failure or pulmonary edema related to circulatory overload, and death and septic shock related to infection or air embolism. On the other hand, phlebitis, infiltration, extravasation, thrombophlebitis, hematoma, and clotting are potential local complications. Even though these complications are local, they can still cause serious damage to the insertion site and surrounding tissues (Hinkle, Cheever, 2014). In addition, infections, pneumothorax, air embolism, and hemorrhage are more corresponded with CVAD (Ogston-Tuck, 2012). These potential complications can be prevented by monitoring ongoing care and recording proper documentation of the
As they have the responsibility to establish and maintain a safe practice during IV therapy, nurses should execute universal infection control measures according to the vascular access devices before and throughout the therapy. As indicated by Ogston-Tuck (2012), “regular inspection of device and site [is required]; devices should be inspected twice a day and any signs of infection should be reported. They should be removed when no longer required when appropriate” (Ogston-Tuck, 2012). Monitoring the insertion site routinely, proper documentation of assessment, ongoing care, and discontinuation of IV therapy are vital to the nursing practice. Nurses must be aware of potential complications that are associated with IV therapy. Higginson stated, “all clinicians involved in the administration of IV therapy must be familiar with these risks and employ strategies to prevent them,” (Higginson, 2015). Nurses should be competent to perform interventions depending on the complications. It is quintessential for nurses to effectively administer IV therapy and appropriately communicate with patients, so safe and quality care can be