How should a nurse remove air bubbles from IV tubing?

To effectively remove air bubbles from IV tubing, it is essential to ensure that the bubbles are eliminated to maintain optimal flow and prevent potential complications for the patient. The method of closing the clamp, stretching the tubing downward, and flicking it is effective because it uses gravity and motion to encourage the air bubbles to move toward the area where they can be expelled.

By stretching the tubing downward, the nurse allows the air bubbles to rise to the highest point of the tubing due to their buoyancy. Flicking the tubing provides an additional force that helps dislodge the bubbles, guiding them toward the injection site or the bag where they can escape when the clamp is opened again. This technique is widely adopted in clinical settings for its efficiency and effectiveness in ensuring that air does not enter the patient’s bloodstream, thereby reducing the risk of air embolism.

Other methods may not adequately address the problem of air in the tubing or could introduce risks. For instance, simply closing the clamp and squeezing the bag might push the bubbles but does not ensure their removal, and leaving them in the tubing could be harmful. Running warm water through the tubing is not a standard practice for this issue and may create additional complications instead of resolving the air bubble problem.