Published
Have any of you ever heard or worked in an ER where they gave the IV/IM form of Zofran or Decadron PO instead?
Have done the whole giving IV decadron orally, with the hospital pharmacist's blessing. Have not given IV Zofran orally, but have dissolved the oral tablets in juice (or the like) and given it to peds that way. They seem to tolerate it better than having to let the tablet dissolve on its own. This especially works for the toddler/young kid range.
Yes, but you know how slowly things change. You'd think the hospital formulary was the third tablet given to Moses in the burning bush!!!!
Lessee...the burning bush was before Mt. Sinai. Moses got two tablets at Mt. Sinai. HIPAA prevents us from knowing why he was prescribed two tablets. In any case, any third tablet would have to be after he was at Mt. Sinai, which means also after the burning bush.
Have any of you ever heard or worked in an ER where they gave the IV/IM form of Zofran or Decadron PO instead?
Yes, used to give IV decadrom and mix it with juice or something else. Accepted pharmacy policy. Zofran IV I have only given only IV in my experience. Why not used the wafer or oral Zofran as both are readily available?
Because the PO form is not always stocked at all times in all facilities. It does the same thing.Yes, used to give IV decadrom and mix it with juice or something else. Accepted pharmacy policy. Zofran IV I have only given only IV in my experience. Why not used the wafer or oral Zofran as both are readily available?
My question is...why would you? I'd be very hesitant to administer anything IV by the P.O. route...particularly if you have a patent IV site...why run the risk?
In peds, little kids can't swallow pills and we do not stock liquid decadron. So our choices are to crush a pill and mix it with syrup or give the IV version PO. Crushing and mixing the pill usually works out to much more liquid than using the 10:1 IV version, and with fighters giving the same dose in a smaller amount of fluid makes it easier to administer. The order is written to administer the medication PO, so we're not changing the order by doing so.
FlyingScot, RN
2,016 Posts
No, not in trouble at all. Just giving you a different viewpoint. Some hospitals are too cheap to get the rapid dissolve tablets.