Hanging Fluids

[Katniss88]

This is probably going to sound like a stupid question and I'm afraid of asking my instructor. When hanging fluids, just hanging a new bag and using the same tubing already in the room, can you hang the bag and take the cap off while it is hanging on the pole and then spike the bag while it is hanging?

[decembergrad2011, BSN, RN]

Yup, sure can. Make sure that your tubing is primed properly though and not full of air bubbles before you restart your IV pump. This can be resolved by taking the bag off the pole and turning it upside down while flicking the bubbles up into the bag, or you can disconnect from the patient and release the roller clamp to allow the fluid to run out into a trash can or sink in a similar fashion to priming a new tube. Or if you're a cool kid, you can stick a syringe into the distal port and pull the air out along with some of the IV fluids.

[Boog'sCRRN246, RN]

Go to clinical, try it that way, then come back and let us know what happened.

I'm kidding ...you'd make quite a mess pulling the cap off a full bag of fluids and trying to spike it while it's hanging on the pole.

[decembergrad2011, BSN, RN]

Go to clinical, try it that way, then come back and let us know what happened.

I'm kidding ...you'd make quite a mess pulling the cap off a full bag of fluids and trying to spike it while it's hanging on the pole.

I almost always hang my fluids on the pole and then spike them...there's no opening in the fluid bags we use until we spike them and create one. I'm sure this varies depending on manufacturer, but it's not been my experience...

[KatePasa]

Ergonomically, it'll be easier to spike a bag in the hand than one on the pole. Just imagine stabing a pencil in a balloon you are holding versus one that is floating.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Go to clinical, try it that way, then come back and let us know what happened.

I'm kidding ...you'd make quite a mess pulling the cap off a full bag of fluids and trying to spike it while it's hanging on the pole.

I've been doing it that way for 5 years. There's no hole in the bag until you spike it. If your fluid order changes and you remove the spike from the 1st bag before taking it down, that's another story....

[Sun0408, ASN, RN]

I always hang my fluids on the pole before I remove the cap and then spike. Removing the cap does not allow the contents to spill out.

OP, please ask your questions to either your instructor or the primary RN,never be too scared to ask. It could harm your pt. Also you should learn how to hang, spike and prime a primary as well as a secondary. You have to be careful of air bubbles or air filled lines as well as giving your pt a unintended bolus when changing. Keep asking until you are comfortable with replacing a bag, hanging a secondary, priming a new line etc.

[Katie71275]

Nope, no problem at all. In fact we are advised to do that for ease so we don't drop a whole bunch of stuff :)

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Go to clinical, try it that way, then come back and let us know what happened.

I'm kidding ...you'd make quite a mess pulling the cap off a full bag of fluids and trying to spike it while it's hanging on the pole.

?????????????

Have done this every day of my 16 year career and have never lost so much as a drop.

[OB-nurse2013, BSN, RN]

Go to clinical, try it that way, then come back and let us know what happened.

I'm kidding ...you'd make quite a mess pulling the cap off a full bag of fluids and trying to spike it while it's hanging on the pole.

Hahahhaha I was in a rush situation with my patient that was getting ready to push on my OB rotation and needed to change her bag and I did just that lol... I took a LR bath and it stunk so bad like sulfur kinda and the funny thing in the excitement and I played it off so cool no one even noticed it!