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.

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