909Martha

OK, so I'm a new nurse & run into this problem all the time. Please help me to understand the best way to fix the problem. Here's the scenario: I'm coming on shift & my saline locked patient is receiving an IV antibiotic via the plum pump. The prior nurse setup the tubing with the antibiotic (let's say zosyn) with a primary IV plumset (which requires about 20 ml's to prime). The zosyn is attached to a 50 ml n.s. bag but once she has primed it, there is no longer 50 ml's left in the bag. She then sets the pump to run VTBI of 50, which causes the line to be left dry all the way down to the cartridge. Now the cartridge has air in it. The chamber "frequently referred to as Minnesota" (because it is the shape of the state) has air in it. Now I'm on shift & need to hang another dose of Zosyn. The cartridge won't run because there is air in the chambers. How do I get the air out of the cartridge chambers & still use the same primary plum set? I think I understand the concept of backpriming when you have fluids on the primary & the Abx is on the secondary, but this is not the case here. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks so much.