Vancomycin Trough

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

I’ve worked in many buildings and each place has different policies. What is your policy on vanco troughs? Do you get the trough and hold the next dose until the results are back or give the next dose and change the order after the trough is back? Curious what other folks are doing

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Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.

How long does it take for your facilities Vanco troughs to be reported?

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

Hours...at least 3

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Specializes in Burn, ICU.

In my (hospital) setting, we draw the level just before giving the scheduled dose. The pharmacy department adjusts subsequent doses as needed.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatrics, Wound Care.

Where I work, draw the lab ~30 minutes before administration. Send it down. Administer the current dose. Future holds/adjustments are made.

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Specializes in LTC.
On 3/23/2019 at 6:50 PM, marienm, RN, CCRN said:

In my (hospital) setting, we draw the level just before giving the scheduled dose. The pharmacy department adjusts subsequent doses as needed.

This. That's exactly how we did it in the LTC I worked at.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

Did you have an onsite lab? Our lab comes in to draw the trough...let's say it's at 9:30 AM prior to the 10am dose. By the time the blood gets back to the lab and the trough is run, it's after 12 so if we waited for the results, we always be hanging the IV later and later. The medical director agreed with me....get the trough, hang the scheduled dose and worry about the NEXT dose when you have the trough results.

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Specializes in LTC.
2 hours ago, CapeCodMermaid said:

Did you have an onsite lab? Our lab comes in to draw the trough...let's say it's at 9:30 AM prior to the 10am dose. By the time the blood gets back to the lab and the trough is run, it's after 12 so if we waited for the results, we always be hanging the IV later and later. The medical director agreed with me....get the trough, hang the scheduled dose and worry about the NEXT dose when you have the trough results.

No, we had an offsite lab come draw as well. They would draw, we would hang and await results then either call or fax them to pharmacy (also offsite) to dose and order the next trough.

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We do what the doctor wants....one pt started out with drawing trough and go ahead and hang without results then a few doses later it was wait for the results and call before hanging the dose

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