IV infusion/rates Flashcards
IV catheter
small plastic tube inserted into a vein for administration of fluids and medications directly into the circulatory system.
Primary IV
large volume IV used to administer fluids and electrolytes on a continuous basis.
IV piggyback (IVPB)/secondary IV
small volume IV that is “piggybacked” on a primary IV line to administer the medication on an intermittent basis. (Every 8 or 12 hours).
IV lock
(saline lock, heparin lock)
short IV line that is attached to an IV catheter. The IV lock has an end cap that can be accessed to administer an IV medication intermittently. The IV lock can be flushed with saline to keep the line patent.
Saline (Abbreviations)
NS (normal saline)
NaCL(sodium chloride or saline solution)
Dextrose (Abbreviations)
D
Lactated Ringer’s (Abbreviations)
LR,RL
Combination solutions (Abbreviations)
None
Saline (Comments)
Normal saline (0.9% sodium chloride solution) has the same concentration as body fluids.
Sodium chloride with less than 0.9% are less concentrated than body fluids.
Dextrose (comments)
Dextrose is a common component of IV fluids used to restore blood glucose levels and provide calories.
Lactated Ringer’s (comments)
Lactated Ringers is a solution that contains electrolytes (potassium, magnesium, calcium chloride. LR has the same concentration as body fluids.
Combination solutions (comments)
Some IV solutions combine dextrose with saline or LR.
KCL is a common additive to IV solutions. (mEq)
Saline Ex:
NS (0.9% NaCl)
½ NS (0.45%NaCl)
¼ NS (0.225%NaCl)
Dextrose Ex:
D5W (5%Dextrose in water)
D10W (10%Dextrose in water)
Combination solutions Ex:
D5NS (D5/0.9%NaCL)
D5 ½ NS (D5/0.45%NaCl)
D5 ¼ NS (D5/0.225%NaCl)
20 mEq KCL in D5NS
40 mEq KCL in D5 ½ NS
IV Piggyback
o Small volume IV (usually 50 or 100 mL) that contains a medication diluted in an IV solution such as normal saline or D5W.
o The order for an IVPB is similar to an order for any medication (medication name, dose, route and time or frequency of administration)
o The type of solution used to dilute the medication is not specified in the order, but is determined by the drug manufacturer.
IV infusion pump
Program for the flow rate and volume to be infused.
Calculating flow rate in mL/hr.
With IV infusion pumps, the flow rate is set in mL/hr.
The physician will order either mL/hr. (125 mL/hr.) or the total number of hours the IV will infuse (every 8 hours).
Formula: mL/hr
Volume (mL) = X mL/hr.
Number of hours
