One of the most important skills a nurse can master, is the starting of infusions, administering of IV medications and managing IV therapy. These skills are used daily by nurses all over the world, in all kinds of healthcare settings. These infusions can restore the patient's health and save lives.

The most fear evoking experience of a young nurse is the starting of peripheral IV's. Start by assessing the hand, wrist, forearm, and the anti-cubital area. Apply a tourniquet and palpate the vein with your finger. The best way to become more efficient in locating veins for IV's, is to close your eyes and feel for the veins. There are often veins present that you cannot see, but you can feel them.

Apply an anesthetic cream over the injection site. This will help to numb the area and the patient will feel less pain when the IV cannula is inserted into the skin. Attempt to penetrate the layers of the vein in one motion. The more IV's you start, the better you will become in starting them. If time permits, offer to start IV's for other nurses. This will do two things, improve your skills and earn brownie points with your peers.

When starting the IV, use your thumb and gently tighten the skin distal to the site. This helps to anchor the vein and it doesn't tend to roll as much. Placing the needle directly above the vein, with the bevel up helps with the insertion into the vein.

If you have checked the patient and have been unable to see a vein that you feel you can start the IV in, then apply warm packs for the patient's arm for at least 10 minutes and then take another look. You will be surprised at the difference with some people. Some hospitals now have the support of a visualization device to help locate veins in the patients. These are actually becoming more popular. If one of these devices are not available, then use a blood pressure cuff on a low setting.

Don't be too rough on yourself, there is not a nurse alive that starts every IV every time. The best thing for you to do is to start IV's. The more you start the better you will become. Don't shy away from starting them on any patient. The old saying, "Practice make perfect", is true in this circumstance.

Intravenous IV treatment definitely has a broad definition. The simple form of this treatment can be as simple as giving fluids in order to combat dehydration. Usually many different medications are given directly into the vein through an IV drip, to take care of a variety of medical conditions. The length of time that is required for the IV treatment depends on what the physician orders. This treatment could be for a one time dose of medication or could be the administration of fluids and antibiotics that last for several hours or days.

IV therapy can be beneficial for such problems as asthma, hepatitis, malnutrition, acute viral illnesses, coronary heart disease, and detoxification. There is even a Myer's Cocktail, which consist of IV vitamin and mineral therapy that was developed at John Hopkins University. This was considered a treatment for chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, muscle spasms, hives, congestive heart failure, infections, and senile dementia.

IV treatment can be administered in a hospital, a nursing home or in the home. IV therapy bags come in several different sizes and solutions. The Lactated Ringer's injection bags come in 250ml, 500ml, and 1000ml bags. Different fluids, such as D5W, Normal saline, D5LR, and others, also come in the 250ml, 500ml, and 1000ml bags. The type of infusion is ordered by the physician and is determined by the age of the patient, the size of the patient, the disease process, and history of the patient.

There are two different types of IV solutions: colloids and crystalloids. The human blood is considered a colloid, as well as water that is mixed with insoluble material such as a gelatin. A crystalloid is usually made up of soluble materials and water. Although these are different types of solution, they are typically administered in the same way.

Chemotherapy and blood administration are given by IV administration. There is usually no serious side effects from the IV solution itself. There can be soreness or redness at the IV catheter injection site. Only in rare cases, has a patient had an allergic reaction to a plain IV solution. Patients should always keep a list of any allerergies they may have.

A peripheral IV site is the most common route of administration. If people require fluids, antibiotics or other treatments for an extended length of time, then it might be required to have a permanent or implanted IV site. Most IV therapy is given in a hospital setting, but if the treatment is going to continue over a length of time, the treatments may be received in the home. Home health care nurses usually go to the home and administer the fluids and medications.

The nurse checks to be sure the IV is functioning well and that there are no signs and symptoms of an infection. Problems that can arise are swelling of the vein, a hole in your skin where the IV site is, redness, pain, bleeding, chest pain, respiratory distress, a fast heart rate or dizziness. Ultimately, IV treatment is very useful in treating many different conditions. Check for any side effects and be safe.

IV treatment is a very common scenario in the hospital today. Nearly any time that the body requires something extra, including medications, those medications or other fluids may be administered via intravenous therapy. IV therapy is typically put into play any time there is a hospital admission in order to ensure that health care practitioners have an open line in case of need.

In order for life saving fluids to read the body, in many cases they must be administered intravenously. In some cases the need to administer intravenous fluid is imperative and it must be done very rapidly. This can take place in circumstances where the volume of fluid has been depleted for a wide range of reasons. Some reasons that your volume may be depleted might include:

• Traumatic injuries

• Massive blood loss

• Dehydration

• Surgical intervention

• Vomiting

• Massive diarrhea

IV Therapy may be used to supply medication, to transfuse blood, to prevent or to treat dehydration, to add basic nutrition to the body and for a wide range of other factors. It is imperative to not only supply the fluid, but to control the flow rate of the medication and of the fluids which are being introduced into the body. Too rapid a rate of infusion in some medications can cause severe problems and too slow comes with its own set of issues.

As with every other kind of fluid introduction and any type of therapy, there are certain contraindications and dangers which are inherent in using the therapy. IV medication therapy is typically more likely to cause an allergic reaction. This is due to the fact that the medication is not buffered by going through the system first, but is directly introduced into the veins. Adding too much fluid to the body in too short a time can cause severe symptoms and even systemic collapse. Ensuring that those who are administering and setting the IV therapy are well versed in their craft and making sure that some checks and balances are in play is imperative.

IV Therapy may be accomplished by means of a central line, a pic line, a needle or a peripheral cannula. It may be accomplished in many areas of the body including the carotid, the veins in the head (particularly in children) as well as the veins of the arm, the hand, or the foot.

The method by which IV therapy is given as well as the speed with which it is introduced into the body and the amount of medication or fluid being infused will tell you a great deal about the need for speed or the reason for treatment in intravenous therapy.