Two questions....

[PrudenceNurse]

Two Questions:

1.) What is the highest concentration of dextrose you routinely run in Central Lines (PICC, UVC, Broviac)? D30 is in our Unit Standards, but we have no "evidence base" for that. Does anyone else?

2.) Does anyone have any thoughts (or better yet, evidence!) about whether one should use a blood warmer when transfusing through a PIV? Our current policy dictates using one when transfusing through UVC or Broviac, but not through PIVs. Blood comes from bank at 40 degree temp of fridge and we warm it to a max of 72 (room temp). That is pretty cold for a little 24 weeker, isn't it?

[Imafloat, BSN, RN]

We can't run more than 12.5 through a peripheral. The Dextrose on our HAL is usually 15 or 17.5.

We don't warm any of our blood on the unit. I think it comes from the blood bank already the proper temperature.

[BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN]

We run up to D12.5 thru a peripheral and up to D25 thru our centrals.

We don't use blood warmers on any blood products for regular transfusion, the tubing takes a lot to prime it. We have been known to throw a warm pack on a syringe if we need to, but most of the time it is at room temperature. The only time we have used the warmer is if we need to do an exchange transfusion and the BB sent us a blood packet that was reeallly icy.

[SteveNNP, MSN, NP]

Same here.... D12.5% for peripherals, D10% for UACs, and D25% for central lines. I've only used a blood warmer for a double-volume exchange transfusion, since we ended up using 400 ccs of blood. Otherwise, I try to run as much of the blood tubing as I can inside the isolette and along the air vent.

[jazzy163]

1)TPN's, we can run as high as D18 on Piccs or UVC's.

2)With blood, room temperature. We cannot make it too warm for reasons that, it's only good for several hours and if there's an infiltrate, some babes takes time to get another IV access.

[dawngloves, BSN, RN]

We don't like to, but we run D12.5 through peripherials. I've never given higher than D17.5, but that is only through a central line.

Blood warmers we only use for rapid infusions and exchanges.