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V A S C U L A R
A C C E S S
SAFETY CATHETER Chris Lippert
RN, MBA, CAPA, of Avera Queen of
Peace Hospital in Mitchell, S.D.,
uses a catheter that features a
spring-activated safety mechanism.
"It's one less thing they
need to worry about:
being stuck with a needle
after an IV insertion,"
Chris Lippert, RN, MBA, CAPA
says Ms. Sena. "Safety
catheters let you focus
more on what you're
doing." They also let you
"maneuver the catheter
safely," says Jillanea Winchester, RN, BS, of Advanced Family Surgery
Center in Oak Ridge, Tenn. And they "keep our clinicians safe," says Linda
Stair, RN, clinical supervisor at the Western Maryland Surgicenter in
Cumberland, Md.
Pay attention to the mechanism of action if you purchase safety catheters.
They either self-retract or feature a sheath that slides over the bevel of the
needle. Chris Lippert, RN, MBA, CAPA, OR director at Avera Queen of Peace
Hospital in Mitchell, S.D., prefers safety catheters with a spring-activated
safety mechanism. "When a button is pushed, the needle retracts into the
barrel of the applicator," he says. "I find them to be more useful."
Although safety catheters can protect both staff and patients from
needlestick injuries, they can be cumbersome, more of a hindrance than a
help in getting the IV placement right the first time, making it harder —
and much more likely — to result in multiple sticks and spillage of blood.
The problem, says Nikolaus Gravenstein, MD, professor of anesthesia and
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | J A N U A R Y 2013
