IV administration question

You also have to factor in the volume of IV fluid in the dead space between where you are putting your med and the patient. Some infusion pump tubing sets have huge volumes; the Alaris Signature pumps we use (until October when we're getting Smart pumps) require at least 20 mL of fluid to prime them, and more if you're adding a filter or any other additional length. So when you put the med into a burette the rate has to be fast enough to get the med to the patient in the alloted time. Antibiotics, for example, are given at fixed intervals so that the level of drug in the patient's blood stays relatively the same. If I put my cefazolin into the burette and the base rate of the IV infusion is only 5 mL, it would take at least 4 hours before the patient started getting that cefazolin unless I speed up the infusion rate. See what I'm saying? What your instructor is telling you is that you have to also think about the amount of med left in the tubing when your recommended infusion time is done. Why do we flush after we give meds? To make sure the patient gets it all. So unless you use a port somewhere along the length of the tubing set-up, which is acceptable practice in most places, you have to calulate your rate based on getting ALL of the drug to the patient in the recommended time... and that includes your flush. Does that make sense?