How to remove a peripheral IV
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
A simple skill that still needs care: intact catheter, pressure and documentation.
Step by step
Order and explain
Confirm the order; stop and clamp the infusion. [1]
Remove the dressing
Gloves; peel gently toward the site while holding the catheter. [1]
Withdraw
Smoothly along the vein; gauze over the site. [1]
Pressure
1 to 2 minutes, longer on blood thinners. [1]
Check the tip
Catheter intact; report if not. [1]
Dress and record
Small dressing; time, site appearance. [1]
Common errors
- Not checking the tip.
- Short pressure on anticoagulants.
- Not stopping the infusion first.
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Intussusception
- Sickle cell pain crisis
- Preeclampsia with magnesium toxicity
- Postpartum hemorrhage
- Pain after abdominal surgery
103 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
- OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.