venous anatomy of the forearm, in order to readily identify their
options. Among edematous patients, for example, whose veins can be
difficult to see and feel, larger veins sometimes have a faint green out-
line that makes them look smaller than they are. But knowing that the
vein is there will let them identify a vessel obscured by retained fluid
or subcutaneous tissue.
When faced with a patient who has small or flat veins, nurses might
consider placing a warm pack on the arm for 5 or 10 minutes, which
can often help to enlarge the veins and make them more palpable.
If a single tourniquet doesn't raise veins, a blood pressure cuff on a
low setting or a double-tourniquet can force the blood to pool. If this
doesn't assist in locating a vein, check the cuff: The problem may not
be that the patient lacks patent veins, but that it's not properly
applied. Just as you don't want the cuff to be too tight, you don't want
it to be not tight enough.
9 0
O U T P A T 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 U N E 2 0 1 5
z TACTILE TECHNIQUE Use your fingers as well as your
eyes to locate and determine the size and patency of veins.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
