Retrograde IV

We did that years ago...it is when you inject in a higher port and let the fluids carry the meds. We don't do that now as many meds have to be given within a certain time frame.

Thanks Bunches! I knew it was a techinque that was not used very much. I had never heard of it until I was doing my senior capstone and it was ordered. THANKS!

This technique is used in our Peds unit but NOT in our NICU.

I would argue it could be used safely on a larger person but it is not appropriate for NI.

Jenny

Wow! thanks for the info.

We used IV Retrograde (IVR) med administration when I first started in my unit. Not that it was too long ago, but I forget all the intricacies of the process. It allows for med administration without giving additional fluid, as you would by piggybacking. It's a loooong coiled tubing with two ports that is connected to your maintenance fluid tubing, one port close to baby and one closer to the pump. Basically, it allows you to draw off some maintenance fluid and push your IV meds into the coil (this way, the med is kinda sandwiched in between two pockets of maintenance fluid and floated in at the desired rate) the drawn up IV fluid got tossed, thus no "additional" fluid was administered with the med. Again, I don't remember exactly how, but there was a way to calculate how much fluid to float your med in with, so that it could be given in a certain time frame. Phew! that is IVR in a big, convoluted nutshell. :typing

The problem with IVR is that all the drawing-off and pushing-in of fluid requires many entries into the line. There is large ongoing initiative decrease our central-line-related blood stream infections in our unit. So, we stopped IVR and moved to a closed med administration system. This, coupled with other changes in practice has helped us cut way down on our central line infections.