How is lab collection treated in your unit?

[LaNICUnurse]

In our unit we have to collect what I consider to be an unusually large amount of blood for our tests. How much do you all collect and who does the collection? Amounts for things like CBC's, Comprehensive Met. Panel, CRP's, T&M's? Also, what area of the country are you in? I'm in the south.

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

Gompers, do you run D5 carrier fluids with your ampho to keep the line open and to help with fluid/glucose needs?

Our ampho is prepared by pharmacy and is either constituted with D5W or D10W. The pharmacy finds out what four hours of fluid would be to the baby and will make the ampho in that much fluid so that the baby is getting fluid and dextrose during those four hours off TPN.

For example:

If a baby is getting 10cc/hr of D10 Hyperal, the pharmacy will add the proper amount of ampho to 40cc of D10W which is to be infused over 4 hours.

For those babies on >10% dextrose, we've found it doesn't usually hurt their glucose levels too much to have them on a lower % for those four hours.

[LaNICUnurse]

Thanks, Gompers. I'm going to suggest it to our docs.

[lovemyjob]

Neat idea, reduces the needfor having to hang a bag of D10 and wasting the whole bag. We just hang the carrier fluid at the total fluid rate (minus UAC/PAL) fluid amounts.) It is nice to have an extra PIV for any other meds you will have due during that time, though. I havent used the double lumen UVC's too often,butwe usually have a split bag of HAL for them and then we would still need the carrier fluids, I think!! I will have to suggest this next time we have an order for ampho.