# Saline flush complications



## jcroteau (Jun 4, 2015)

Hey guys, 

Quick question regarding flushing IV lines with pre filled saline syringes.

Standard procedure here when an IV line isn't running is to attempt to flush it with 10cc of NS.

Assuming it isn't flushing due to a clot at the end of the catheter, is it possible to create a thromboembolism and potentially cause an MI, CVA, PE etc?

Thanks!


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## 281mustang (Jun 4, 2015)

No.


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## Gurby (Jun 4, 2015)

You are dislodging a clot when you do this, but the clot formed in the end of the catheter is going to be pretty tiny.  It's going to go back through the vein, heart, and get lodged in the pulmonary capillaries where it will eventually dissolve after a few weeks.  It has pretty much 0 chance of being able to cause an MI or CVA.  Because it's so small, it shouldn't cause a PE, either.

Reading this article will make you feel better:  https://southernveincare.wordpress.com/2014/01/07/how-big-are-blood-clots/


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## LondonMedic (Jun 7, 2015)

Gurby said:


> Because it's so small, it shouldn't cause a PE, either.


Tehcnically, it would be a PE, just a 'sub-clinical' one.


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## cprted (Jun 7, 2015)

Remember that your lungs lyse hundreds of clots every day ... that is one of the non-respiratory functions of the lungs.


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