How long can you have the cardene gtt for?

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 4, 2015

Is it that the patient can only be on the drip for 24 hours or that the bag is good for 24 hours? One site I found stated that if it is mixed from an ampule, it is only stable for 24 hours. The manufacturer also recommends changing peripheral IVs every 12 hours if not using a central line. Best bet is to refer to your facility's policy or ask your facility's pharmacist. Sometimes, relying on what you're told isn't best- always go to an authoritative source like a policy if you're not 100% sure.

Enthused RN, BSN, RN · Sep 4, 2015

It's not the specific bag I was asking about. What I meant is how long can the patient received the actual medicine?

In my facility, they don't want the patient to be on the drip longer than 24 hours. What happens when the patient is on it for more than 24 hours?

icuRNallie · Sep 6, 2015

Patients can certainly be on it for longer than 24hrs. If you have a pt with a subarach or a post-IR coil or clipping or something similar and they HAVE to have strict blood pressure control, it is much more important that their blood pressure is controlled than that they are off the medication. You do need to switch peripheral sites every 12hrs, but it can run continuously through a central line as needed. The bag is typically only good for 24hrs. I've had patients on it for greater than a week. I'm not sure of any actual limit. Otherwise you are risking a bleed/re-bleed.

offlabel · Jun 21, 2016

It's not the specific bag I was asking about. What I meant is how long can the patient received the actual medicine?
In my facility, they don't want the patient to be on the drip longer than 24 hours. What happens when the patient is on it for more than 24 hours?

Might there be some confusion with Nipride going on? Have not used that drug in some time, but if memory serves there is a 72 hour max on that drug for cyanide toxicity risk.

No limit on Cardene that I'm aware of.

KeepinitrealCCRN · Sep 6, 2017

cardene is a bridge medication. if the patients BP cannot be controlled they need to be started on an oral BP med and then weaned off the cardene drip. sometimes it takes a lot of on and off with the cardene drip to get them to goal and maintain it. often times especially with hemorrhagic strokes due to high BP it is next to impossible to control their BP in the 110-140 systolic range (typically what the neurosurgeons want it to be) due to the fact that they probably live at home in the 180s systolic so they load them up on BP meds (also not a good idea from what i see) to get them to goal.