Question about IVPB administration procedure for incompatible med?

[ARRR10]

For an IVPB administration procedure for an incompatible medication to an existing primary line (e.g. conatining dextrose), do you have to clamp the primary line and flush the primary line with normal saline and then infuse the IVPB medication? After it has been infused, do you flush again with normal saline and unclamp the primary line to infuse the dextrose? I know the procedure for administering IVPB compatible drugs, but I have been looking online and in the lab manual for information regarding the incompatibility procedure, but could not find any information at all.

[steelcityrn, RN]

you would disconnect that line,flush with nss and start a new one with just that medication, flush once complete and then re-attach the old line(capped). You not supposed to put a medication in a line that contained something that is incompatible.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

According to my favorite pharmacist where I work, the big danger is that incompatables will precipitate in the line, therefore will clog the line. So, if you flush well, then you should be ok.

[queenjean]

Our hospital procedure is to completely disconnect the primary tubing, flush, connect the piggyback with primary tubing, run it the allotted time, then disconnect, flush, and reconnect the primary.

However, if you have to do this more than once a day or so, we'll just start another site and maintain two peripheral IV sites--one for the primary, and one for the IVPs and pushes that are incompatible with the primary fluid.