Working out these IV Pumps...

Nurses General Nursing

Published

So I'm learning about these IV pumps... Most of what I'm delivering is non-critical, Saline solutions, Blood, etc... and almost always on the ward.

When I'm using these things all I'm really interested in is setting a mls/hr flow rate and letting the bag run through. I don't want the added complication of having to set Volume to be infused (VTBI) or any of the other stuff.

Does anyone else find that they don't use the 'OTHER STUFF' ? Why would I need to set VTBI aswell?

Specializes in med/surg, ER, camp nursing.

IV MAD... are you having trouble with programing the IV pumps? Don't be afraid to ask a seasoned nurse to explains the set up, even if it takes you multiple explanations! There are no stupid questions. The most important thing is that you become a nurse who feels confident and SAFE.

I work in a team where we all feel comfortable going to each other and saying "I am having a brain fart.. can you double check this with me?" Don't be afraid to ask for help. The most dangerous nurse is one who only thinks she can/should "figure it out herself".

Good luck. :)

Specializes in ICU.

I use the VTBI feature on our pumps to call me back to the room to check the pump at a certain time - e.g. to take q1h blood vitals, to check for PTT results on my heparin gtts, and (like others have mentioned) to remind me to order a new bag of my pressor or sedation drips. We also have a cool feature that allows us to pre-program the pump and put it on delay, so I can set up a new drip and have it ready to run when my med arrives from pharmacy.

It does take some getting used to. I went from simple pumps to the complicated ones now I use now, and it took me about six months to really get them down and understand how to use all the features. Now I would really miss them.

Specializes in Cardiac, ER.
Does anyone ever set these things using a VTBI over a time period and never entering a flowrate?

I think you're missing the point here,....if you tell the pump to infuse 1000ml in 4hrs,...you are telling it to infuse at 250ml/hr,..the pump calculates for you when you enter the info,.....seriously this doesn't have to be so difficult,...spend 20 min playing with one and you'll have it down!

Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

For the most part, I do use the "other stuff". Typically the patients I care for have pretty specific parameters, even for such mundane infusions as NS or D5 1/2 c 20mEq KCL. If they come from the cath lab or the ED with NS running by gravity, sometimes I leave it off the pump and let it run in by gravity (if I'm super busy and they don't have a history of CHF, pulmonary edema, ESRD, etc.), but most of the time we do have a specific flow rate and/or VTBI prescribed. When infusing meds such as heparin, Integrilin, NTG, dobutamine, and so forth, then the "colleague guardian" feature is really very nice (and required per protocol), and yes, I do use VTBI. Typically, I program the VTBI for continuous infusions to be less than the total volume in the bag so my tubing doesn't run dry. I can switch between viewing either the volume left to infuse or the amount of time left in the infusion to give me an idea of when I need to get in there and hang a new bag/bottle.

+ Add a Comment