*IV infusion question!

[Renaa15]

Hi there member of allnurses,

I want to clarify a question about IV infusions and I hope this makes sense!

Scenario: I have a patient that is on an already established insulin infusion (I have never set one up myself and cannot locate the policy/procedure anywhere online!)..this patient is getting blood sugars taken q1h and insulin titrated per sliding scale. I notice the insulin infusion is running into a peripheral site with a dual lumen attachment. Lumen#1 - portless tubing insulin via pump. Lumen#2 - KCL40-D51/2NS at 100ml/hr via pump. The patient is having nausea and has PRN zofran IV ordered. Can I use the KCL IV fluid line to run the zofran through? Does the peripheral dual lumen attachment prevent any mixing of meds? In other words, would I still need to look up y-site compatibility even though the zofran technically goes through a seperate lumen? (But same peripheral site)

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

[CerseiRN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

Greetings, Renaa15! Try asking the pharmacy department to see what they say. Usually when I have a compatibility question that I can't figure out with Lexicomp, I just call to get a more definitive answer. Hope that helps - good luck!

[MunoRN, RN]

While a peripheral may have two ports that doesn't mean it has two separate lumens, those two ports enter the same lumen.

[blackribbon]

Do you have access to micromedex at work? We have a section on it which will list if IV meds are IV compatible...you have to be very careful with anything "D5...whatever". And what is your access site...a simple perpherial IV with multiple ports or a dual lumen PICC line? But when in doubt, pause the continuous influsion(s)....flush the begeebers out of the line with normal saline...put in your zofran....flush again...then turn your continuous fluids back on....