Solumedrol

[bld24]

How do you prepare it? They way I was taught by my preceptor was to dilute in 2cc's of saline (per package instructions). My dose is .96 so I've been wasting 1ml of a 3ml saline flush, then injecting the solumedrol with 2ml of saline, then drawing up .96 in a tb syringe and transferring it back to a NS syringe. Can someone give me your step by step procedure-from the time you pull it out of the pyxis to administering it? Are the 3cc syringes-- with 1 ml wasted accurate enough for dilution to get the proper concentration?

I've had numerous people tell me this is the way to do it, but something doesn't feel right about it. I just want to verify.

Thanks

[KatWright]

Need more info.

You are giving .96 what? mg, mL. What is the strength of the vial?

2cc: whether you draw it up into a syringe or waste 1 cc of a 3 cc syringe is still 2cc's.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

It sounds about right what you are doing. But it really should be a no brainer as the vial should tell how much saline to use to dilute.

We have the vials with the saline on top, so we just pop the seal, shake it and draw it up.

When I have to draw a dose as precise as .96 of a cc I do use a turberculine syringe for accuracy's sake. Unfortunately the tuberculine syringes we have aren't compatable with our needless system and I do what you do and tranfer it back to another syringe.

[bld24]

The dose is .96ml. I guess my concern is that the 3cc syringe that we use to waste the 1ml has so few markings that it seems a little imprecise when you waste 1ml. (Unlike the TB syringe where you could get as close a measurement as .01), so if you're off on wasting just a little it can throw the dosage off--i.e. if you only used 1.90 or 2.10 of the saline then the .96ml you draw up could be too high or too low of a concentration. I hope I'm making some sense.

[hypocaffeinemia, BSN, RN]

A 3mL syringe is the most precise way to draw up 2mL of saline unless you plan to spend your entire day drawing up two tb syringes' worth of saline for the purpose of reconstitution.

Most places I've been use the vials with the reconstitution saline attached:

With the above, you merely have to draw up the dose needed.

[bld24]

Thanks for the answers-we don't have those vials-wish we did.

[RochesterRN-BSN, BSN, RN]

yup the hospitals I've worked at had those same vials...funny I have never used anything but those so I have to say I was reading the OP thinking .....???? what??? dilute??? what??? LOL