My Pet-Peeve - Priming IV's

[Nurse_FF_EMT]

Okay here it is, to all you Nurses out there who are guilty of doing this!!!!!

IV lines do have a volume, it is printed on the bag when you first open it, it's called the Priming Volume. When you are the first nurse to hang a 100cc bag of antibiotics, and it takes 10cc's to prime the line, do not put 100cc's as the VTBI!!!!!

I'm always having to go around and chance out IV lines that have sucked air in them and because of that are driving my pumps crazy!!!!!

Thanks for listening, I needed to get this out of my system. I have bit my tounge for the last 4 years, lol.

(I'm really not pissed off, just anoyed )

[Hoozdo, ADN]

Well why don't you hang abx as piggybacks with secondary tubing? Problem gone.

[cheshirecat]

Second that annoyance!!:monkeydance:

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

With ours, there's usually enough med in the bag to cover the priming amount.

So that if air gets into the line, it means someone's "overpriming" and the patient is not getting the required dose.

In any case, it happens to me too. I just hang the next bag and take the air out of the closest port with a big 10 cc syringe, then run it.

I agree it's a tad annoying to have to do that extra step, but it assures that the patient is getting all of the med.

[MarcusKspn]

With ours, there's usually enough med in the bag to cover the priming amount.

So that if air gets into the line, it means someone's "overpriming" and the patient is not getting the required dose.

In any case, it happens to me too. I just hang the next bag and take the air out of the closest port with a big 10 cc syringe, then run it.

I agree it's a tad annoying to have to do that extra step, but it assures that the patient is getting all of the med.

If we are lucky we can attach a syringe to the secondary port and backprime the IV into that. But more often than not there is a tiny little airbubble hiding somewhere in the system. Can't ever find it, but it is just enough to make the IV pump refuse to work. We use the Abbott Lifecare 5000 pumps, and they like to complain a lot.

[MarcusKspn]

Well why don't you hang abx as piggybacks with secondary tubing? Problem gone.

This problem only happenes with patients that don't have a primary line. Thats why it takes so much to prime the piggybacks, because they have to be set up as a primary line.

[traumajunkiegirl]

Lol thought i was the only one this annoyed. Happens where i work all the time and even when ya teach someone how not to have it happen, they dont care cause usually thier shift ends before the iv is infused and settin off the pump for you !

[Hoozdo, ADN]

This problem only happenes with patients that don't have a primary line. Thats why it takes so much to prime the piggybacks, because they have to be set up as a primary line.

That is my point, give them a primary line. Hang NS at 10 cc/hr as primary then piggy back any other items.

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

this is one of the stupid things aobut the price of everything value of nowt managers in my trust

one hospital has alarises with drop counters , the other hospirtal saved a few quid by getting ones without ... and then spends out on so many more giving sets or stuff to backprime...

[Nurse_FF_EMT]

That is my point, give them a primary line. Hang NS at 10 cc/hr as primary then piggy back any other items.

I usually hang a small bag of NS as primary, then after the piggyback goes in just disconect the whole setup until the next dose is due.

But if I can't get nurses to think about subtracting the 10cc's from the VTBI, I'm not going to get them to go through the extra trouble of setting up a NS primary.

[reesern63, RN]

This problem only happenes with patients that don't have a primary line. Thats why it takes so much to prime the piggybacks, because they have to be set up as a primary line.

Why not use a NSS 250ml bag as a "primary" bag; that way you have another line to take over if you can't get back there right away when the abx. is finished.

[DeLana_RN, BSN, RN]

Strange, I've never encountered this problem and have never been told to subtract the priming volume from the VTBI (quite the opposite - I was told to program for the actual volume to be infused - in this example, 100 cc). If you program the pump for 100 cc, it will infuse as much (i.e., the 10 cc in the line plus another 90 cc from the bag) and the pt will get the full dose; because there is always a small overfill, the air alarm should not go off.

Or am I missing something here?

DeLana