Do nurses still time tape the bag when hanging fluids?

Nurses General Nursing

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Do nurses still label their hanging I.V. bags of fluid with the timed masking tape? How do you keep track of how much fluid is being infused in--other than looking at the pump (and the patient)?

I just started a new job in a rehab hospital where hanging I.V. antibiotics and I.V. fluids is done round the clock. Whereas, I only saw patients requiring I.V. fluids maybe once every 3-4 months in my prior job in subacute rehab/ LTC. In that setting, it was easy for me to eyeball that one patient (and check for infiltration) who required those meds, but that was just one patient out of 29 who had a central line in place.

I'm finishing up my BSN and only ONE of my nursing instructors has ever remotely mentioned time-taping the fluid bags to monitor I.V. infusions. I have NOT seen any nurses during my clinical rotations utilizing the time-tape method, either. Then again, I didn't keep track of every single nurse on every single shift. I'm a newbie to the whole long term acute care hospital setting.

Specializes in acute care.

During my nursing program (2010 graduate), learning how to time tape was a must. It was part of our Medication Math Exams. I have never seen it used, though.

Specializes in Pediatrics.
NO taping. I'm sure new graduates don't even know what that is. We use pumps and if the patient doesn't require fluids, locks.

New grad here, and we had to learn to time tape, I remeber going to clinicals and asking the RN I was working with if she did time tapes and she said she had never even heard of them.

Specializes in ICU, CVICU.

What does that even mean?

Never time taped and don't plan on starting.

We have a unique invention in the hospital called an IV Pump. And for those of you who yell the sky is falling and that the iv pumps can fail...how do you propose keeping up with infusions such as fentanyl, midazolam, NTG, Nipride, etc?

What does that even mean?

Back in the day, before IV bags came up from the pharmacy fully labeled, one would attach a strip of tape with various information onto the bag (or bottle), and also make a "time tape" to create a visual indicator of how the fluid was flowing.

Before one spiked an IV bag, you placed a tape with hourly markings next to the fluid level marks printed (or etched if glass bottles). All things considered an infusion rate of 1000cc would be easier to caculate than say 80cc, but once you got the hang of it things flowed naturally.

Oh, and you had to remember there was a certain amount of "excess fluid" in each IV bag/bottle. Normally about 50ccs, so when the bag/bottle was turned upside down before spiking, you had to move the tape so your marks would reflect the accurate fluid when the bag is on the pole.

Sounds really complicated, but learned how in Med-Dose Calc and watched it done by nurses hundreds of times. Once you do it enough it becomes much like anything else, second nature.

You usually wrote your name, date and time the bag was hung and other vital information on these tapes.

Besides "banana bags" time taping is one neat tool to have in one's IV kit.

Specializes in being a Credible Source.
I do!! We don't use pumps, we have a not so accurate "dial a flo" tubing set. I do label with either sharpie or tape my time.
Sharpie seems like not such a good idea. Going by the smell of them I'd have to conclude that they have a reasonable probability of volatile components diffusing through the plastic into the fluid.

We have the time tapes on my unit, but hardly anyone uses them. Most infusions are gravity, so I can see why they would be a useful tool. I can't say that their purpose was clearly explained to me during orientation, though. Would have been nice if it was! I think I'll take a closer look at them (we have several with different drip factors/rates printed on them, from 83 to 150, I think). I hate dial-a-flos, I don't think they are accurate at all. We do have sticker labels that are supposed to go on each bag we hang, with the time started, rate, date, pt name and room number and whethe or not there are any additives.

No. I've only seen it done in a situation where it was a primitive setting, a pump wasn't available and the fluids needed to be closely monitored. I never learned it in school 10+ years ago, and I can't believe a modern setting with a pump manufactured within the last 30 years would ever need it.

Sharpie seems like not such a good idea. Going by the smell of them I'd have to conclude that they have a reasonable probability of volatile components diffusing through the plastic into the fluid.

If you've ever written in "magic marker" on paper you know it is absorbed and comes out on the other side. For the same reason one shouldn't mark a plastic bag directly, but use tape or something else.

We are required to time tape our bags during clinicals. :rolleyes:

I had to ask one of the nurses where the tape was (first day of clinical) and she asked what I needed it for. I told her, and she looked at me like I was crazy. LOL!

Back to gentleuser. I think that was the post name. What if your pump malfunctions. I don't know that marking the bag is so important as marking what time the fluid when up and when the tubing was changed. In our facility the tubing has to be changed every 72 hr. How else would you know?

I would say that people have gotten away from it, except for a few old timers like me, but I do still think it's a good practice

I don't time tape unless like a previous user said if you are using a dial a flow. Any decent nurse after practice should be able to eyeball a bag and see if it is running right (simple math). I worked home care and a taught patients how to watch their IV bag flow and if "by this certain amount of time has gone by and this amount of fluid has not gone through, then speed it up!" It's really common sense

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