True or False: If intravenous lines are not being used, flush saline locks with 10 mL of normal saline at least every 24 hours.

True or False: If intravenous lines are not being used, flush saline locks with 10 mL of normal saline at least every 24 hours.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only if line is patent
• D. Never flush

Answer: (B)

Maintaining IV line patency requires regular flushing of saline locks when the line isn’t being used. The common approach is to flush with a small volume of saline (typically 3–5 mL) every 8–12 hours and after any use, rather than a single 10 mL flush only once per day. Using 10 mL every 24 hours either under-frequent or over-large can increase the risk of occlusion or fluid overload depending on the patient. So the statement is false because the standard practice is smaller-volume flushes more frequently, not a once-daily 10 mL flush.

Maintaining IV line patency requires regular flushing of saline locks when the line isn’t being used. The common approach is to flush with a small volume of saline (typically 3–5 mL) every 8–12 hours and after any use, rather than a single 10 mL flush only once per day. Using 10 mL every 24 hours either under-frequent or over-large can increase the risk of occlusion or fluid overload depending on the patient. So the statement is false because the standard practice is smaller-volume flushes more frequently, not a once-daily 10 mL flush.