Gravity NS boluses for pediatric patients?

Nurses General Nursing

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Do they ever do gravity NS boluses in peds? What if no pumps are available? Is a rapid infusion (per gravity) to fast for a ped patient to absorb or will it blow a vein?

Also what sizes do they generally use for say a 10 year old and 3 year old NS bolus? I'm guessing around 24 and 25 gauge?

Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Answers for the OP:

In my practice the trend is for more aggressive fluid resuscitation in critical situations, and I see the interpretation of "bolus" being increasingly used to mean some amount of fluid delivered in less than 1 hour -- usually 30 min.

So yes, I see pediatric boluses being infused via gravity. If you hang the appropriately sized bag of fluid it won't be a problem.

And IV catheters ... a 24# catheter is very short and dislodges very easily. We use a 22# if at all possible. And children over the age of 4-5 usually have something you can get a 20# in.

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Specializes in Trauma ICU, Peds ICU.
No they won't get it too fast. They are smaller and have less of a gravitational pull to suck it out of the bag.

Classic. I say stuff like this to nursing students all the time.

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Specializes in CEN, CPEN, RN-BC.

How long would it take to fly in a liter of NS through a 20 gauge IV...

...on the moon?

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Specializes in ER.
FlyingScot: Very well said. Seems very irresponsible to prank on a sincere student poster.

Wah, wah...just breaking them in.

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