Bedside procedures

How to flush a saline lock

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.

Nursing (NCLEX)
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Flushing keeps the line open and checks it works.

Step by step

  1. Scrub the hub

    Alcohol or chlorhexidine for 5 to 15 seconds, let dry. [1]

  2. Use 10 mL syringe

    Smaller syringes create higher pressure. [1]

  3. Check

    Gentle blood return if policy requires. [1]

  4. Push-pause

    Short pushes with pauses. [1]

  5. Never force

    Stop if resistance, pain or swelling. [1]

  6. Clamp

    Per the connector type (positive pressure). [1]

Common errors

Practice it in VMS

In VMS 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.

VMS cases that train this skill

103 VMS cases train this skill: open the case library

Sources

  1. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
  2. OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (CC BY 4.0)

Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) and OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills, licensed under CC BY 4.0. VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.