IV Pump and X-ray question

[Ayemee]

Hi guys! I have two questions that are confusing me.

1. IV pump: Why does the IV line go through the pump in one direction? What would happen if it were put in the wrong direction?

2. Why when getting a right lateral on an X-ray, is the right side pointed downwards? Why not upwards?

Thanks!

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[CalliopeDVM]

Rads are named after the side nearest to the film (or where the film used to be, if you're using digital).

 

[Lupin21]

Why are you not asking your techs these questions?

 

[MDB74]

These are wildly inappropriate questions for this forum. These very basic questions should be asked to the techs at whatever practice you've been hired or are shadowing at. If you're not comfortable or not used to asking questions, then that's something you need to get over real quick.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

These are wildly inappropriate questions for this forum. These very basic questions should be asked to the techs at whatever practice you've been hired or are shadowing at. If you're not comfortable or not used to asking questions, then that's something you need to get over real quick.

Well, that's a bit hyperbolic....but yes, these are questions that could easily be answered by asking the techs. OP, don't feel shy about asking these things in person.

 

[Caiter92]

Well, that's a bit hyperbolic....but yes, these are questions that could easily be answered by asking the techs. OP, don't feel shy about asking these things in person.

Seconded.

@Ayemee it's really important to ask if you're not sure. Always. Assuming one thing or trying to get info from another source is often how mistakes are made. It's okay to not know things. It's not okay to not ask for help when you need it. That's something so many people struggle with and being able to ask for help is such an important skill to have. If you have a good work environment, no one should be upset by asking questions

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Hi guys! I have two questions that are confusing me.

1. IV pump: Why does the IV line go through the pump in one direction? What would happen if it were put in the wrong direction?

2. Why when getting a right lateral on an X-ray, is the right side pointed downwards? Why not upwards?

Thanks!

Echoing that if you have questions, don't be shy about asking your coworkers. You can also look things up on your own time, so long as you verify your findings with whoever you work with and mind your sources. I'm only going to touch on the IV pump because I don't think a lot of people out there have ever thought of what would happen tbh. It's one of those things where no one ever thinks much about it because it's pretty simple to put the line in the direction the arrow is pointing. I googled it to see if I could find a helpful diagram or something but I couldn't find squat.

IV pumps will draw out fluid from the line/catheter if you put it in the wrong way. aka theoretically exsanguinating your patient if you don't catch it. If you think about it, it makes sense. The mechanism in the pump, as you are standing looking at it, creeps along the line to the right, 'pulling' fluid down out of the bag and pushing fluid to the patient (think of milking a cow, sort of). If you put it in the opposite direction, it would pull fluid up from the patient and push it into the bag.

I'm not sure if there is a safeguard against this or not because I've never experimented with it or heard of a story where this happened. I've never even seen a pump that wasn't clearly marked, or where the specific line would fit and function if placed incorrectly (like Plum pumps and the lines that go with those). Also not even sure if you could backflow into the bag through the drip chamber. If it did work, I think you would get a pressure warning fairly soon if you hooked up a full bag backwards because the bag can only hold so much...but I think that amount it could take would be enough to seriously harm/kill a small patient.

Anyways, yeah, the more you know I suppose.