IVP by gravity video?

GardenDove · Mar 10, 2007

I think it's funny the way they still teach drip rates in nursing school. I learned them in nursing school, and have never used this once in my 14 year career. I recently took an online med test for a nursing agency, and drip rates were a huge component of the test. I'm good at math, so I aced the test, but it struck me as strange that there were so many questions about drip rates.

Fun2, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2007

lol....I know. We joked around about why we had to check off without using a pump. Of course they say, "What would happen if a pump wasn't available?" or...."What if the electricity went out?" (Ummmm...power generator?) haha

Achoo!, LPN · Mar 10, 2007

Well I work at a clinic and we do not have a pump. Not that I have to calculate anything since we only give saline boluses over about an hour, but the dinosaurs are still out there!

Fun2, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2007

Oh I know....I am doing clinical at the county hospital and I've seen gravity drops a few times.

Just this last Thursday at clinical, I believe it was platelets that I was told a pump isn't used.

dazey71 · Mar 10, 2007

I work at a huge downtown hospital, and we were out of pumps!!! And I couldn't find a dial-a-flow. I was upset and said "I guess I just cant hang any of this lady's meds today." An 'older' nurse just laughed and taught me how to do drip rates. A lot of us didn't know how to do them, so she got to teach a whole lesson on them :)

WDWpixieRN, RN · Mar 11, 2007

We were also reminded that in situation such a Hurricane Katrina, we need to at least be exposed to the possibility of having to calculate drip rates...I know, it's a long shot, but I bet they were saying that down there before it really happened....

GardenDove · Mar 11, 2007

They are pretty easy, just find out how many drips per cc(look on package of tubing), then take your needed rate per hour, say 125cc per hour, divide that by 60 minutes, and times that by drips per cc. That should give you drips per minute needed.

ertravelrn · Mar 11, 2007

Garden Dove,

I also haven't used them in the fourteen years I have been a nurse. However, before new years 2000, we all had to take the test......just in case.......

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Mar 11, 2007

take this from an old nurse who had to titrate drip rates all the time before pumps became standard equipment. drip rates are easy to calculate if you know how many ml, or cc's, per hour your iv needs to infuse at. you need a watch with a second sweep hand in order to count the drops as they come out. just a little trick that i learned many years ago: you can set the drip rate and be satisfied that the iv is dripping at the rate you want. walk back 10 minutes later and you'll find the rate is too slow. not sure why this happens, but it does. probably has something to do with the tension of the roller clamp on the plastic tubing. so, make it a point to re-check the drip rate in about 10 minutes because it will usually need a fine re-adjustment. also, if the iv cannula is "positional" or the patient is moving the arm around a lot that the iv is in, this will affect your drip rate as well. there are forces of gravity at work here.

for standard tubing (15gtts/ml)--take your hourly rate in ml and divide it by 4 (ex: 100ml per hour will be 25 drops/min.)
for tubings delivering 10gtts/ml--take your hourly rate in ml and divide it by 6 (ex: 100ml per hour will be 17 drops/min.)
for micro drip tubing (60gtts/ml)--your drip rate is always going to be that same as your hourly rate of ml per hour (ex: 60ml per hour will be 60 drops/min.)
for tubings delivering 20gtt/ml--take your hourly rate in ml and divide it by 3 (ex: 100ml per hour will be 33 drops/min.)

since cotc shut the public out of their skills videos it is hard to find the kind of video you are looking for. i haven't accessed all these files because i have dial up isp and it takes forever for video to download. however, you might find what you are looking for in some of these lecture files:

http://lib2.hacc.edu/nursing/nursing206/ - from harrisburg area community college. click on videos to see movies of various iv procedures, ng tubes, and wound packing. will need a real one player to view. site states you can download a free version of the player. heparin well, piggyback, iv push, ampules, pediatric medication administration, pediatric iv administration with soluset.

http://lib2.hacc.edu/nursing/nursing104/ - from harrisburg area community college more videos of nursing procedures. this site includes links to videos on bandaging, bedmaking, enemas, iv therapy, medication administration (most all routes of administration are addressed), ng tubes, nursing skills (sterile gloving and dressing, dressing change, straight catheterization, indwelling catheter and rom), physical assessment and positioning

http://www.csufresno.edu/dcg/videos/faculty/dutra/n110a/ - index of video lectures on nursing procedures. iv piggyback meds, trach cleaning, catheters, injections, starting ivs, and ng tube insertion.

Fun2, BSN, RN · Mar 11, 2007

Thanks Daytonite. I bet those will be a huge help!

ertravelrn....Now that is just too funny!