pump vs gravity

[nurmac]

I have been working in oncology/hematology part time for the past 5 years. I work in an infusion room. When I first started I was amazed that they had NO pumps. All chemo and biologics are run via gravity only. Is this unusual??? If you give chemo and biologics do you use a pump or gravity?

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

I can't imagine not having a pump for oncology. Some infusion rates are so precise, running by gravity seems risky.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

In home health, I push it but when I worked inpatient, I never ran ANYTHING by gravity.

[Amistad, RN]

I work in inpatient oncology. We give most of our chemos with pumps, except for ones given by slow IV push. I think the advantage to hanging by gravity is if the IV infiltrates, the bag will stop dripping, whereas with pumps they will keep pushing the drug until it says "downstream occlusion." I was told it's safer to give vesicants by gravity for this reason.

[nurmac]

I work in inpatient oncology. We give most of our chemos with pumps, except for ones given by slow IV push. I think the advantage to hanging by gravity is if the IV infiltrates, the bag will stop dripping, whereas with pumps they will keep pushing the drug until it says "downstream occlusion." I was told it's safer to give vesicants by gravity for this reason.

I also read that I wondered if that was the reasoning

[lookingrn]

We always do vesicants to gravity, rather then the pump. The idea is that it's safer than having something that will continue to push something into the vein.

[gvrn13]

Where I work, they do not use any pumps either.. they say they use to have pumps, but had more infiltrates that way. Everything is done using drip rates, there are flow regulators available for longer infusions. This was very difficult for me to grasp. Before becoming a RN, I worked as a licensed veterinary technician (RN equivalent for animals), and we used pumps for EVERYTHING from fluids to antibiotics, we very rarely did drip rates.

[annaotis]

I worked Outpatient Chemo Infusion for 4 years, we did everything by gravity.