Medication Errors?

[Monica08]

So here's an example.. What if a medication for nebulization Salbutamol(Ventolin) was given intravenously instead of nebulization. what happens to the patient?

[Jenni811, RN]

i'm confused. i don't even understand how that would even happen. As a nurse, even if i saw the order "Albuterol IV" i would know enough to question that. If i was drawing up an albuterol into a syringe i feel like i should know enough that something just isn't right....

[Monica08]

i was just wondering about it.. Afterall its a clear liquid medication and can be mistaken as other IV medications which are clear too.. (if both of them are in a syringe..)

[LordErrorProne-RN]

This is what i do, and by no way am i saying thats what the text book way to do it is, its just what works for me. IF i decide to push a med and taking into account all the things u need to know in order to push a med i would draw up a flush and a med in a syringe and on the med syringe ill stick a red med label... or whatever colour they are where you work, even if i dont fill out the med label ill know which is which .... now that being said if i am going in there with a neb AND an IV med u better believe the med labels will at least have the med name on them. that being said it is possible to make an error and give it IV, what would happen to the patient?? the simplest thing i can think of is tachycardia, and it can be alot worse with much worse cardiovascular complications not to mention resp complications... .hope that gives some light to the issue??

[cardiacmadeline, RN]

I have seen a nebulizer med given iv. It wasnt a common drug, I can't remember what it was. I don't recall anything happening to the patient.

[snazzy-jazzy, BSN, RN]

Salbutamol is a b2 receptor agonist and relaxes smooth muscle. Besides being used for asthma or bronchal conditions I learned in Midwifery that it's also given by the IV route as a tocolytic and will cease contractions in premature labour. We use Nifedipine for that though.

So what will happen to the patient is that it will relax smooth muscle but I wouldn't like to make that med error either.

[DixieRedHead, ASN, RN]

Falling in the category, We Learn Something New Everyday:

ICU INDICATIONS:

bronchospasm

PRESENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION:

IV:

5mg in 5ml solution.

For infusion add 5mg to 50ml or 10mg to 100ml of compatible IV fluid. Note that Ventolin solution for IV infusion (5mg in 5ml) should not be injected undiluted. If a bolus dose of salbutamol is required, dilute with Water for injection prior to administration. For example, add 0.5ml (500mcg) to 10ml to make a solution of 50mcg/ ml and inject bolus doses of up to 5ml (repeat as required)

Compatible with the following IV fluids: 0.9% sodium chloride5% glucoseGlucose and sodium chloride

Store at room temperature.

Protect from light

[CompleteUnknown]

I think the treatment of asthma has improved greatly over the years. Ventolin drips were quite common when I was new nurse. In my experience asthma is generally controlled a thousand percent better than it used to be, you just don't see the same numbers of people in desperate states because of asthma that you once did.

IV Ventolin was also used to stop contractions in premature labour, as mentioned above.

[raincitynurse]

Interesting question! I've wondered what the systemic effects of a nebulized drug would be if taken po or iv. Thanks to snazzy-jazzy for breaking it down.

[AnonRNC]

A dose for nebulization should be drawn into an ORAL syringe. It could still be inadvertently administered PO or via feeding tube, but it could NOT be administered IV, which seems the greatest risk to me.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

IV and what is TT?

Where is this from?? Was this in the OP and they edited it? If so, why? Still did not answer if this actually a happened or a hypothetical question? Just kinda curious. If a real situation, what happened to the pt?

[chevyv, BSN, RN]

Where is this from?? Was this in the OP and they edited it? If so, why? Still did not answer if this actually a happened or a hypothetical question? Just kinda curious. If a real situation, what happened to the pt?

Yes, the original post was IVTT which I've never heard of and the response was intravaneous through a tube. Still never heard of that one before considering IV line is a tube of some sort..... It was a bit confusing. My is telling me student or prestudent question.....