phenergan ivp into hand

[newnurse012]

i am a new rn and was asked to give phenergan iv push into already started iv with continuous nss running into a vein in the patient's hand. the patient had been vomiting so oral route wasn't an option. the doctor had already tried zofran (it was not effective) and the patient was refusing compazine, so the doctor wrote an order for phenergan 12.5 mg iv push. i diluted it in 15ml 0.9% ns and pushed the phenergan over 10 min into the iv site in the patient's hand. patient had no complaints of pain, redness or tenderness. now i am reading about all the complications and starting to worry! i had not been told that phenergan wasn't to be given in hand or wrist veins but now i am reading that this is the case. am i worried for nothing? any advice would be helpful!

[BmoreCRNP]

@Hoozdo

Yup, you're right! A lot of the Anesthesiologists are very hesitant to use it. Don't get me wrong, it isn't the first line antiemetic we use. Most of the time we do Zofran, Reglan, & Decadron. We used to use Compazine a lot when I was in NY. We were told we didn't use Compazine anymore because of some problem with the production. We always thought it was because the hospital just didn't pay the bill and the drug company stopped sending it to them. :chuckle

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

I agree with all above, you did fine. But for future reference, don't overlook the possibility of starting a new site in a larger vein. It's a hassle, but it's something to at least consider. When I was new(er), it would never have occured to me, but sites don't last forever, anyway, and it can be handy to have two (especially when you're using one for vesicants).