Fake Arm for IV Insertion and Venipuncture Practice

Here's a way to make a cheap, but effective, fake arm for practicing IV insertion or other venipuncture practice. Perfect for nursing school or practicing phlebotomy.

Supplies

Glue gun/hot glue

Pool noodle

Thick waterproof tape = https://a.co/89Fwvgi

Latex tubing = https://a.co/fHZDaIV

Red food dye

Syringe with needle

22G IV catheter

Primary IV tubing

IV fluids

Set Up the Arm

Measure and cut both your pool noodle, and your latex tubing.

You will want the tubing to be about 1 inch longer on either side of the noodle.

Set Up for the Vein

Draw the shape of the vein you want to practice, then create a channel using scissors, knife, or soldering iron.

Insert the Vein

Hot glue the tubing into the channel.

Make the Skin

Cover the tubing with the tape.

This is your "vein"

Set Up for the Connecting Part

Take your 22G catheter (I'm using a practice catheter, but any will do)

Separate it (You won't need the entire thing)

Use just the actual catheter itself (The part that would stay in the patient)

Add the Connecting Part

Insert the catheter into one end of the tubing.

This completes your "arm"

Set Up the Blood

Take your food dye, syringe with needle, and IVF (I used 1L NS, but it could be anything)

Draw up some red food dye into your syringe (It doesn't take a lot. Less than 2 mL is fine)

Insert the food dye into the left-side port on the bag (This completes your "blood")

Get the Blood Running

Spike your bag with the primary tubing

Connect the other end to the catheter on the arm and prime

*Notes: the free-flowing fluid will make a mess if you don't have something underneath to catch it

Practice

Practice!

You can now stick your fake arm.

To get a flash, make sure you have a good amount of pressure pushing the fluid through. You can accomplish this by making sure your bag is up high or putting pressure on the bag with something (like a pressure bag or even a BP cuff).

Optional

In step 6, you can add a drop of super glue onto the catheter to make sure it stays long-term.
Take the clamp from a J-Loop and clamp the opposite end of the vein from the bag.
Collect the fluid that pours out from the vein, you can redraw it and reinject it into the bag to help it last longer.