The nurse assembles equipment needed to begin caring for a patient with a gastrointestinal bleed who is hemodynamically unstable. What size of intravenous catheter should the nurse choose?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

1. Smaller gauge, longer catheters will slow administration time of the fluid. The lumen of this IV access device do not allow for large and rapid amounts of fluid to be administered. If it is used, there is too much pressure and the vein may infiltrate.
2. A large-bore IV catheter is needed to rapidly administer large volumes of intravenous fluids that hemodynamically unstable patients need. The patient should have two large-bore intravenous catheters placed immediately. Studies have indicated that short large-bore peripheral IV catheters are capable of faster flow rates than longer central line catheters of the same gauge.
3. This size catheter would not be adequate to administer large volumes of intravenous fluids.
4. The length of the catheter would not be adequate to administer large volumes of intravenous fluids.

The Nurse Assembles Equipment Needed to Begin Caring for a Patient