[hcalvertrncrni]

Is anyone currently providing IVpush antibiotics in home care? I am in the Baltimore Md. area.

[JillR]

I do not work home care, but there was an article about this very thing in the Oct issue of RN magazine. Try rnweb.com, you may be able to find it there.

[Blue11RN]

I worked in IV therapy Home care until recently. We did do IV push antibiotics. Most MD's are afraid to order them and alot of CHHA home care agencies were afraid to use them. But, they are so much easier to teach the patients or family members about. And, patients like it better then IV bags, tubing, and pumps. I have not seen any adverse reactions or problems with it. I have seen more problems with teaching about IV bags, priming, pumps and etc. Hope this helps.

[dauschundlover]

What a small world not only am I a displaced Baltimoron, but my best friend lives in Parkton Maryland. We were roomies in nursing school. Anyway I am back in the home IV end of nursing and we do IVP medications. Ancef, Ampicillin, rocephin, are the ones that come to mind. Obviously vanco, gent, and nafcillin are still administered via pumps. I always wondered why med weren't given IVP in the hospital if possible. Some argue it would keep the nurse at the bedside longer, but I got to tell you I'd rather take 5-10 minutes at the bedside assuring the med was delivered then coming back in fifteen to 20 to find my infusion had stalled due to any number of reasons.

[PICC ACE]

IV push antibiotics can have their use in the acute care setting as well. I've given them a few times when access and compatibility issues arose. An example--patient of mine a few months ago had a port,one peripheral IV and lousy veins. TPN through the port,IVF's, PCA and some other drip through the PIV. Rather than poke him again for a site for the Cefazolin,we stopped the drip for the few minutes it took to push the ABX. This was also easier than having to stop the PCA during the ABX and make another trip to restart it. Similar instances have come up where I get a PICC order late in the day,needed due to other incompatibilities,but the patient can get by til the next day by switching some meds to push.
So,it's useful but still uncommon practice in the hospital setting.