Intravenous (IV) therapy as a nursing specialty is based on principles of anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and infection control. Since IV therapy is an invasive procedure, it is germane that nurses strictly adhere to the fundamental principles that govern this area to assure patient protection. The focus of this article is to assimilate clinical expertise into a process for selecting IV tubing systems that are suitable for the delivery of the prescribed IV therapy.

The first principle that governs the selection of IV tubings is to choose a system that will deliver the prescribed therapy and minimize the risk of infection. The National Intravenous Therapy Association (NITA) Standards of Practice states that 0.22 μm filters shall be utilized for the delivery of IV therapy unless contraindicated. The 0.22 μm filters provide the following four safeguards to patients: 1) they remove particulate matter than could impede circulatory flow through the pulmonary vascular system. 2) They eliminate air from the system and consequently protect patients from the risk of air embolism. The design of the 0.22 μm filter allows air to be automatically vented from the system; therefore, no entry into the sterile IV system is required to remove the air. Because every entry into the IV system may result in inadvertent contamination, the air-eliminating capabilities of the 0.22 μm filter may also be classified as an infection control measure. 3) They will retain virtually every pathogen bacterium or fungus that may have entered the system.