Air or gas stuck in an IV tube can lead to serious complications for patients, especially patients with cancer who are at increased risk for embolisms. Oncology nurses are often the first to respond to infusion pump alarms indicating that air is stuck in the tube and also the ones to correct potential problems. Yet the number of alarms related to air in lines can lead to alarm fatigue and safety concerns when nurses become desensitized or overloaded with alarms related to air in the tubes. Patients frequently lose sleep and become disturbed by the alerts.
A group of nurses recently developed and distributed a survey to oncology nurses asking them about their experiences dealing with air in IV tubes. Seth Eisenburg, ADN, OCN®, TCTCN™, and Nancy L. Trick, RN, CRNI®, VA-BC, published their findings in the Clinical…