What is IV catheter?
intravenous (IV) catheter is a hollow tube that a doctor or nurse can shed with a vein to provide a route for administration of drugs and fluids directly into the bloodstream. IV catheters are usually placed in hand, arm or legs. Sometimes they came across one of the inner or outer jugular veins in the throat or vein under the collar bone or in the chest. Some catheters are permanent and remain under the skin, while others are visible from the skin and usually remain in place after a fixed period of time. External catheters are often used in patients with serious but acute diseases. They are also commonly used in surgery, medicines and anesthesia. Some drugs and nutrients can only be administered intravenously, so a catheter must be used.
The location of the IV catheter, doctor or nurse cleans the skin around the area where the tube will be placed and pierces the skin with a needle to access the vein. Then brings the catheter into a vein and attaches it to flexible hoses that usually run to a bag filled with liquidsor medication. The catheter placing procedure is usually relatively painless and most patients do not feel pain or discomfort as soon as the tube is in place.
These devices are safe for most patients, but healthcare professionals may have to look for alternative places to place the tube if the skin around normal areas is burned, injured or infected. The IV catheter usually does not cause other problems, but must be maintained clean and sterile to prevent infection. Redting, pain, swelling or heat around the catheter are signs of possible infections and the tube can be completely removed or moved to another area in patients experiencing these symptoms.
The tube can irritate the interior of the vein and cause to trigger a blood clot. These are usually small and harmless when the catheter is in the arm, hands or leg, and this condition usually pushes itself. Sometimes IV catheter can pierceOut vein completely and cause internal bleeding, called hematoma , which appears as a bruise or lump on the skin around the injection site. Most hematomas require no treatment and leave within a few days. Rarely, the IV needle can damage the nerve. Most of the time the nerves are repaired within a few months, but sometimes the operation is required to remedy damage.