Chapter 13 Objectives Calculate intravenous flow rate, time, and volume Calculate amount infused versus amount remaining to be infused Use the language that is used for intravenous infusion 1:1000mL

The Basics of Intravenous Fluid Administration Unit 13

Page 267 Overview Intravenous (IV) fluids and medications are solutions that are placed directly into the blood stream via a vein. This is called infusion. Because intravenous medications and solutions have a very quick effect, they are used for critical care situations when a patient needs medication immediately. An IV medication may be prepared by a physician, nurse, pharmacist, or a pharmacy technician. Moderate to large doses of fluids or medications are given this way. IV solutions are also used to maintain and to replace fluids, to keep a vein open for further treatment, and provide therapy.

Overview (Cont’d) Page 267 Drops per milliliter gtts/mL The following are the common abbreviations used in IV administration: Term Abbreviation Intravenous IV Piggy-back PB Drop/drops gtt/gtts Hour hr Minutes min Drops per minute gtts/min Drops per milliliter gtts/mL Milliliters per hour mL/hr

Overview (Cont’d) Page 267 Water H2O, W 5% dextrose water D5W The following are the common abbreviations used in IV administration: Term Abbreviation Water H2O, W 5% dextrose water D5W 10% dextrose water D10W Normal saline (0.9%) NS One half normal saline (0.45%) ½ NS Ringer's lactate solution RL Lactated Ringer's solution LR

Page 269 IV Infusion Set An IV infusion set is used to administer fluids and medications and has several parts: a sealed plastic bag or a bottle a drip chamber tubing a needle or catheter at the insertion site Infusion or flow rates are adjusted to the desired drops per minute by a clamp on the tubing. The infusion set tracks the numbers of drops being delivered. It should be noted that the larger the tubing, the larger the drop. There are manual and electronic infusion pumps are in use today the electronic machines have a controller that measures the drops or volume for a preset flow rate – so less calculations are needed but you still have to monitor the equipment to be sure it is working correctly.

Pages 269 – 270 IV Infusion Set To calculate the flow rate, you must know the administration set’s drop factor. In general, the following drip rates are used: microdrip administration = 60 drops per milliliter standard/macrodrip administration = 10, 15 or 20 drops per milliliter blood administration = 10 drops per milliliter These are called drop factors.

IV Infusion Set Page 269 Microdrip administration To calculate the flow rate, you must know the administration set’s drop factor. Larger, macrodrip tubing administers a larger drop and may be used for 10 drops per milliliter, 15 drops per milliliter, or 20 drops per milliliter. Microdrip administration Standard administration/ macrodrip administration Blood administration = 60 drops per milliliter = 10, 15, or 20 drops/mL = 10 drops per milliliter

Calculating IV Infusion Rates with a Formula Page 270 Calculating IV Infusion Rates with a Formula To calculate VI infusion rates with a formula Amount of fluid in milliliters (mL) Total time of infusion in minutes Administration set drop factor x Examples – page 272-273 – practice 1-2: odds Group Work – page 272-273 – practice 1-2: evens = Drops per minute

Pages 273 – 274 Modified Setup To find the mL/hr, use this basic formula: V t = F Examples – page 274-275 – practice 3: odds Group Work – page 274-275 – practice 3: evens t = specific time in hours V = volume in milliliters (mL) F = flow rate in milliliters per hour to the nearest whole number

Infusion Duration Pages 275 – 276 What happens when the time is not given? V F = t Examples – page 276-277 – practice 4: odds Group Work – page 276-277 – practice 4: evens t = specific time in hours V = volume in milliliters (mL) F = flow rate in milliliters per hour to the nearest whole number

Calculating Total Volume Pages 277 – 278 Calculating Total Volume What happens when the volume is not given? t x F = V Examples – page 278 – practice 5: odds Group Work – page 278 – practice 5: evens t = specific time in hours V = volume in milliliters (mL) F = flow rate in milliliters per hour to the nearest whole number