Teaching IV starts in Africa with limited equipment

[Deranged Medic]

I have been given the opportunity to go to Madagascar to help the nurse educator on board the Mercy Ship for a couple of weeks before I start medical school. One of the topics she would like me to help out with is teaching IV starts to the UK nurses on the ship. Apparently they are not allowed to start IVs in the UK, but they are able to start IVs on the ship once they have been trained. They do not have access to an IV training arm, and while I can have them stick each other, I feel like they should spend some time practicing the technique before they start sticking their classmates. One of my coworkers suggested using oranges and hot dogs; does anyone else have some ideas for me?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Blue Goose]

From my experience, IV tubing makes the best substitute for actual vasculature. Unlike hot dogs or oranges, you can practice threading the catheter off of the needle. Also, trainees can always practice palpating veins on each other.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deranged Medic]

From my experience, IV tubing makes the best substitute for actual vasculature. Unlike hot dogs or oranges, you can practice threading the catheter off of the needle. Also, trainees can always practice palpating veins on each other.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the idea. I was planning to experiment on oxygen tubing tomorrow, but IV tubing does make a bit more sense.

 

[EParker37]

As strange as it sounds, I have also found using paper towels that are folded several times to be helpful in simulating depth. Also, you get the nice pop as you go through each layer, and on the upside, it doesn't damage the IV, so you can do them over and over. I have also done the IV tubing inside some under-hydrated jello. Its nice and rigid, but pliant to the IV going through.

 

[frosted_flake]

Hep locks are how I learned. Easy to see what is going on under the skin

 

[stoogen]

I've made impromptu iv props out of cylindrical bottles (soda bottle, squirt bottle) some tape, an iv bag, a dripset and a blood pressure cuff. You can snake the tubing down the bottle then tape it in place, and add extra layers of tape to simulate depth. Then some red food coloring into the bag, clamp the end below the tape and use the cuff to apply pressure to the bag, when they make entry into the "vessel" it will provide a flash.

 

[Deranged Medic]

I've made impromptu iv props out of cylindrical bottles (soda bottle, squirt bottle) some tape, an iv bag, a dripset and a blood pressure cuff. You can snake the tubing down the bottle then tape it in place, and add extra layers of tape to simulate depth. Then some red food coloring into the bag, clamp the end below the tape and use the cuff to apply pressure to the bag, when they make entry into the "vessel" it will provide a flash.

Great idea. I needed you a year ago when I was trying to figure this out!