IV Therapy & Medication Administration Quiz

The "AC" is an anatomical landmark, not a vein, used as a reference point for IV access in the arm, which can be the radial vein, ulnar vein, or brachial vein.
Several methods to "raise" or make a vein more visible: using a tourniquet or blood pressure cuff above the site, lowering the extremity, lightly patting or slapping the vein, rubbing the vein while cleaning the site, making a fist.
The external jugular (EJ) vein is another site for IV access, but as a last resort due to difficulty in locating it and the absence of a tourniquet. The EJ runs over the sternocleidomastoid muscle, and the IV should be inserted caudally.
Contraindications to IV access: crushed, burned, infected, or fractured extremity; history of mastectomy; fistula; fresh tattoo; CVA with hemiparalysis; or IV drug abuse.
Intravenous therapy gauge, color code, length, and flow rate: orange 1.75” needle, 330 ml/min; grey 1.16” needle, 220 ml/min; green 1.16” needle, 105 ml/min; pink 1” needle, 60 ml/min; blue 1” needle, 35 ml/min; yellow 0.75” needle, 20 ml/min.
Macro drips and micro drips: macro drips are the most commonly used for fluid therapy and medication administration, while micro drips are infrequently used for select medication infusions.
Intravenous therapy equipment: medication ports, luer lock twist connection, and needleless y injection sites.
IV placement confirmation: checking for proper fluid flow, observing a "flash" when entering the IV, and checking for retrograde flow by briefly dropping the IV bag below the level of the IV.
IV complications: common complications include hematoma, thrombosis, cellulitis, and phlebitis; as well as systemic complications such as sepsis, pulmonary embolism, catheter fragment embolism, air embolism, and arterial stick.
Intramuscular and subcutaneous injections: IM injections are made into the muscle, with a maximum of 5mL allowed in large muscles, common sites are the deltoid, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and ventrogluteal.
Subcutaneous injections are placed into the subcutaneous layer of the skin, typically given with a small volume of fluid (0.5 mL), and common site is the forearm.
IM injections: occur at a 90-degree angle and use a 19 or 21 gauge 1.5” needle, while SQ injections are administered at a 45-degree angle and use a 23/25 gauge ½ or 5/8” needle.