What it means
A tube, vessel or passage is patent when fluid or air can move through it freely. Nurses check the patency of IV lines, feeding tubes, urinary catheters, drains, airways and dialysis fistulas. A blocked line or tube has lost its patency.
For the nurse
Before giving an IV drug, check patency: flush the line with normal saline and watch for resistance, swelling or pain at the site. For a feeding tube, flush with water before and after each drug. Keep an airway patent first in any emergency.
In a chart
"IV flushed with 10 mL NS without resistance; patent, no swelling at site."
At a glance
| Spanish | permeabilidad |
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Related terms
IV
Intravenous: into a vein, or the tube placed in a vein to give fluids and drugs.
catheter
A thin, flexible tube put into the body to drain fluid out or to put fluid or drugs in.
airway
The passages that carry air into and out of the lungs, from the nose and mouth to the smallest air tubes.
saline
A solution of salt (sodium chloride) in water, used for IV fluids, flushes, wound cleaning and other care.