# IV scenario



## Cody1911 (Apr 30, 2013)

I saw this once. I felt so bad for the volunteer after doing this, and he was mortified. He quit pretty quick after this happened. The full time guys were pretty upset. This was a LONNNNG time ago. In fact I was just doing a ride a long at the time. I just watched and learned. 

I am pretty sure he had no certs. Medical or fire. In fact I am certain.

I remember it was an overdose call. The lady who OD'd was crying. She was alert but I guess the husband called 911 because she said she took a lot of pills. I forgot what the paramedic said the pill was. PD was on scene as well. I remember the ambulance pulling up. One of the medics from the FD handed an IV bag to the volunteer. The PT was able to walk to the ambulance. She was very upset crying and what not. So she had an IV in her and the volunteer was holding the bag. 

From this point the lady walked herself into the back of the ambulance. Basically as she was walking he stopped and all I could think was "Oh dear the Iv is gonna pop right out of her arm." He noticed this and ran back up to her as she walked into the back of the ambulance. She climbed in and the volunteer tried climbing in with her and he slipped on the back of the ambulance. He regained balance thank goodness. I just remember the look on the EMT's and paramedics faces. They looked so irritated. I remember the paramedic took him aside and said "common dude....." Never seen him since. 

Have you seen this before? Wouldn't you have just told the PT there is an IV in her and she needs to hold the bag? Or should have have given the bag to one of the guys from the ambulance company instead? It's kinda common sense... lol. 

I just remember this and thought I would post. I hope you all are well!


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## Handsome Robb (Apr 30, 2013)

It happens. People make mistakes. No reason to talk to someone in front of a patient about it. It doesn't take medical certs to hold up an IV bag, I turn bystanders into portable IV poles all the time.

Definitely good to think about though, sometimes if you spend a lot of time without anything bad/dumb happening you start to get complacent about things like monitor cables, IV lines and o2 lines.


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## socalmedic (Apr 30, 2013)

happens to everyone, I have pulled my share of lines out for one reason or another over the past decade :sad:  all the way from volunteer to senior paramedic.


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## Cody1911 (Apr 30, 2013)

Robb said:


> Definitely good to think about though, sometimes if you spend a lot of time without anything bad/dumb happening you start to get complacent about things like monitor cables, IV lines and o2 lines.



That is very true...

I did feel so bad for him. I think he got ripped back at the station, not sure.

@socialmedic- I have tripped over monitor cables before. It's mortifying when it happens especially when everybody is watching you. I think you just got to remember though I am sure everybody else has done exactly the same sometime during their career.


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## WolfmanHarris (Apr 30, 2013)

If you're going to ambulate the patient why not just pop in a saline lock? If the line is more precautionary I'll often pop in the lock then run TKVO off that (if at all). Makes things easier too if they offload to waiting room or into one of the chair areas.


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## chaz90 (Apr 30, 2013)

WolfmanHarris said:


> If you're going to ambulate the patient why not just pop in a saline lock? If the line is more precautionary I'll often pop in the lock then run TKVO off that (if at all). Makes things easier too if they offload to waiting room or into one of the chair areas.



I've seen EMS companies that don't carry saline locks for one reason or another. Drove me absolutely nuts. Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about pulling the line. I've seen nurses do it, I've done it, and I've had partners do it. Happens to everyone. Take it in stride and move on.


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## VFlutter (Apr 30, 2013)

Patient's pull their IVs out while ambulating pretty frequently. It is something that just happens and is usually not a big deal. Even giving the patient the bag or IV pole does not always solve the problem. I have seen patients wrap the IV tubing around the pole so there isn't any slack and while they walk around then just sit down without unwrapping it and pull out their IV. Just the other day I walked passed to room and saw an elderly lady walking to the bathroom with taught IV tubing stretched across the room dragging the pole along with her. She got a bed alarm after that. 

For all my ambulatory patients on continuous IVs I will loop and tape a few inches of tubing on their arm. That way if the tubing is pulled the tension will be on the taped tubing instead of the IV insertion site. If the patients are really squirrely I will wrap the site in Coban. Coban is your best friend.



chaz90 said:


> I've seen EMS companies that don't carry saline  locks for one reason or another. Drove me absolutely nuts. Anyway, I  wouldn't worry too much about pulling the line. I've seen nurses do it,  I've done it, and I've had partners do it. Happens to everyone. Take it  in stride and move on.



I know! I keep getting patients from rural EMS services that have no saline locks. Just the IV catheter directly connected to the Luer cap. It is pretty much worthless. And of course they are always in the AC so it is almost impossible to connect to your syringe.


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