Chest
SELECTED REPORTSArterial Punctures By Nurses
Section snippets
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The material includes 5ml glass syringe wetted with heparin solution, 1,000 units per ml, attached to a 22 gauge 1” needle; 2 ml plastic disposable syringe filled with 2 percent lidocaine (Xylocaine) solution attached to a 25 gauge 1/2” needle; alcohol sponges; round tooth pick.
The patient is preferably supine or semirecumbent and the wrist extended to about 45°. The area over the radial artery one-half to one inch above the wrist crease is cleansed with alcohol and infiltrated with 1 to 2 ml
RESULTS
The nurses were given one week of instruction on technics of arterial puncture, the recognition and treatment of vasovagal reactions, interpretation of usual acid-base abnormalities, and recognition of possible venous samples. Although occasionally a member of the pulmonary disease service had to perform the radial arterial puncture during the nurses’ first month on the job, it has not been found necessary since then except in rare instances. This is in part because the nurses rapidly became
DISCUSSION
The performance of arterial punctures by nurses is a safe and useful technic. It becomes another procedure which can be performed competently by nurses and ultimately by paramedical personnel. This is an advantage since they are available for immediate requests while the house staff is often busy with other duties.
We strongly believe that local anesthesia should be employed prior to arterial puncture for two reasons: 1) it lessens the tendency of patients either to hold their breath or
REFERENCES (2)
Arterial blood gas analysis
Med Times
(1967)- et al.
The simplicity and safety of arterial puncture
JAMA
(1966)