IV ports…and well, questions?
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May 3, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Has anyone had an ‘experienced IV nurse’ have to make two+ tries to access an IV port?
I ask, because I mite have to deal with this issue on my next infusion. The last wasn’t pleasant? In the 18 months prior [from the insertion of the port till now] I’ve had only one try [each time] and IN! Which is soo deliteful compared to before the port.
How DOES one deal with a port puncher? Any hints? Are there possible damages to an ‘enthusiastic port puncher’?
All help and clues for dealing w/this all are appreciated!
Thanks in advance. – homeagain -
May 4, 2011 at 1:03 am
Emily had a nurse (not for very long…I fired her after she fell asleep during Emily’s infusion TWICE!) who would routinely have to poke her 3-4 times to access.
In my experience, this was not a good nurse for Emily.
What do you mean when you call her an “enthusiastic port puncher”?
If you give specifics about what she is doing wrong I may be able to offer some opinions on how I would handle it.
Kelly
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May 5, 2011 at 7:17 pm
As it was a ‘sub’ nurse for the regular infusion nurse. I’d been spoiled having an experienced infusion nurse at home for several years, but insurance costs and restrictions made it expensive to continue, and, their billing offices were not only a mess? But strange. Too stressful to deal with. However the nurse was wonderful and always got the port in ‘one’!
The sub nurse had to try twice to get the IV catheter needle into the port. The first was a ‘no go’, albeit ‘enthusiastic?; the second? Well, when I heard ‘Went too far in’. My brain was working very hard not to go into ‘panic mode’? IS this going to damage the port? DUH? At least there were no bruises or the like afterwards.
Next time? Bringing the old ‘port booklet’ and know where to web up the detailed instructions for nurses from the product info.
The killer was…all this while I was being told how ‘experienced’ they were with ER and OR situations! NOT!
It’s been a while since I’d had my confidence about IV infusions shaken. With resulting bad reactions. This was Definitely a wake up call.
I hate to have my eyes open when I get the needle in? THIS time I’ll be watching! It should be relatively *****-like pain Not PUNCH-IN pain!
IF anyone else has a port? And has experienced this? Do please, tell me! I want to know what all can go wrong so’s I can avoid it IF I can! Thanks all! -
May 6, 2011 at 1:57 pm
From my understanding of the workings of a port, which I think is a pretty good understanding, you cannot go in too far. When the port is accessed the nurse should push the Huber needle in until they feel it hit the back of the port. Then they know they are in all the way & in the right place.
So I’m not really sure how the nurse could go in too far. That doesn’t make sense to me.
Maybe ask to never have this nurse back. Sounds like she’s not that good.
Kelly
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May 6, 2011 at 7:08 pm
I’ve had a port for over 6 yrs and learned to access myself after 5 yrs. If your port is properly placed, there is no reason the person accessing you should “miss”.
I always use a sterile field and after cleaning the site on my skin, and letting the cleaning agent dry, I locate the center of the port(masked and wearing sterile gloves), and hold the edges of the port firmly while I gently push the needle through my skin and then the membrane on the port at a 90 degree angle to the face of the port. The needle is in place when it is at that angle and the tip touches the back of the inner port reservoir.
If someone is missing, by just stabbing, or punching at the area, then they don’t know what they are doing. Any other person i have ever had access me also held the edges of the port firmly in place with the fingers of one hand while accessing with the other.
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May 18, 2011 at 2:36 am
This may sound strange but when my port was placed 6 years ago it was really deep and my nurse would have trouble getting it to seat or click into the back but moved to a 1 1/2 inch needle which is huge and that solved the problem.
But now my prt is floating towards the surface and we are moving to a one inch needle. Bizarre I know but I always have something strange going on!
Once my nurse and I were talking and laughing so hard that she forgot to flush at the end and pulled the needled out so she had to access again to put the heparin through. Good thing I love my nurses!
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