I.V.Albumin 25%

[NGYSUN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Hi,

Last night I had to give this i.v. q6 to my patient. and I realized that the one supplied to this floor came with the tubing from the pharmacy and it had a filter also it couldn't fit into the Alaris i.v. pump that we use in our facility. I had to use the tubing from pharmacy and also run it with gravity, I tried to count the rate to ensure I don't run too fast or too slow. I just want to know ho do you all run this fluid in your units?

Thanks!

[dexm]

I work in an ICU and we hang it via gravity and run it wide open.

[NGYSUN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I work in an ICU and we hang it via gravity and run it wide open.

Thanks for sharing!:)

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I work in the OR and we either give it through the cardiopulmonary bypass pump in a matter of seconds or anesthesia hangs it through a central line wide open.

[dah doh, BSN, RN]

We usually hang it by gravity and just let run in wide open. We only use a pump if it doesn't run at a decent rate.

[Cancer2012]

Working in ICU, run w gravity wide open unless problem with tubing...use pump.

[PCnurse88]

I work on a medical floor and we run it on a pump over the course of an hour (100ml/hr and it comes in 100ml bottles). It has to be run through vented tubing, but we give albumin and IGG often enough that we stock this on the floor.

[CamillusRN, BSN]

We just run it by gravity every time in all the units I work in (ER, ICU, Med/Surg). Usually it's wide open, with very few (very rare) exceptions.

[suanna]

As many have said- we run it wide open- the faster the better. Albumin (esp 25%) pulls fluid out of the interstitial space into the circulation. It holds the fluid in the vascular space where it's needed. Many of the patients getting Albumin are elderly, frail and debilitated. If you give the albumin slowly it is just metabloized as calories, and has very little benificial effect on fluid shifting. If a patient has significant renal failure, it may be necessary to slow it down. You don't want to pull fluids into the vascular space faster than the body can manage it or you will end up pulling fluid out of the periph edema, and dumping it into the lungs as soon as the Albumin is broken down. In addition, Albumin is high in Na+, and may not be tolerated by renal patients. Be aware, some drugs, Lasix for one, are bound to Albumin, and will not work well without sufficient Albumin in the bloodstream. Keep that in mind when timing your Albumin administration.

[SierraBravo]

I've also hung it by gravity wide open. Albumin is a protein and giving it through a pump could potentially disrupt the protein which would result in a less than therapeutic effect to the patient.