iv piggyback

[intelcore]

i was wondering why do nurses piggyback iv medication into NS. for example, maxeran and decadron are ordered. Do these need to be piggybacked? or can you run them right through the picc line?

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Simple reason, actually. Most meds, even if incompatible with everything else, are usually compatible with NS. Think of it like this: the NS primary is really a flush. A really big flush container. You start with the NS, superimpose the med so that runs for a while, and when it's done, you have that NS flush following to ensure that all the med was given and none was lost.

I've seen lots of 1000 mL NS primaries hung. Why? Simple again. Cost. It's about the same cost (maybe a little cheaper because of volume discounts) to hang a 1000 mL bag as it is to hang a 500 or a 250 mL bag... and with the larger bag, you gain a lot of buffer time between the piggyback med running out and the NS running out, even if the pump is set at a relatively fast rate.