Other tourniquets have been tried but are not as comfortable or effective and cause skin problems. Do not use a blood pressure cuff as this can cause blister formation in an edematous extremity. Precaution should be taken to place the patient on an iris mattress. Nurses orders include a standing order for thrombolytic precautions. This means that absolutely no IM injections are given.
Venipuncture is minimized by placement of a dedicated heplock for blood sample acquisition.
Patients may be kept NPO or given clear liquids as tolerated. An advanced diet is not advised. Blood cultures are not necessary. However, transient low grade fever during urokinase infusion has been noted and is effectively treated with Tylenol. Premedication with Benadryl and Tylenol is not generally required for pedal infusion.