What do you always try to put on an IV pump?

[Aneroo]

In the ED, we put a lot of stuff on gravity or dial-a-flows.

However, there are certain things I am anal about putting on a pump.

Anything with K

Blood

Of course anything that has to be regulated (nitro, dopamine, cardizem...)

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

We usually don't have enough pumps for all patients, so we have quite a bit of discretion as to who gets one. Naturally, we put any patient at risk for fluid overload on a pump, as we do anyone with IVFs containing more than 20 mEq of K+, all peds (we also use a Solu-set with them and check the IV site Q 1 hr), and pts. with central lines and/or intermittent infusions (antibiotics, iron, etc.).

Personally, I like to use pumps for all my frail elderly patients as well. I rarely use them for young, healthy surgical patients who'll be coming off IVFs within 24 hrs, or for blood or heme administration unless the pt is at risk for CHF.

[jeepgirl, LPN, NP]

we use the pumps on everyone - we're peds! no gravity allowed.

[MadisonsMomRN, BSN, RN]

We put everything on a pump too. I think ER is an exception. I see gravity quite a bit with they exception of many of the drugs you have mentioned. In all honesty though...I think it is so much safer to use a pump even with NSS. You could drown someone with that and put them in FV overload!

[melsay, LPN]

The dial a flow things are safer than the roller clamp- but they aren;t entirely accurate- .

Shewww, AMEN to that, esp if the site is positional. I looked up after 5 min in a patients home where dial a flow was set at 250ml/hr 500ml , and 1/4 of the bag was gone, I about fell over:imbar

[neneRN, BSN, RN]

Just use pumps for cardiac/titrated type gtts/IVF c KCl; everything else by gravity- we don't have the dial thingies though, just old fashioned "count your drops." I use the micro tubing for the meds that need to go slower though, i.e., certain antibiotics, Mg, etc.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Aneroo. . .having come out of nursing school in 1975 the only things that were put on pumps at that time on the general medical units were Insulin, aminophylline or heparin. I think that was about it. If potassium was going to be given 10 mEq were mixed in 100cc bags and each one given separately to avoid bolusing the patient and having them go into heart block. We never had Dopamine drips on the medical unit even if they were only for renal perfusion. All other IVs were done by gravity flow and we all got real good at setting the rates with the roller clamps. We utilitzed pediatric tubing a lot if we wanted the IV to run slowly. It's easier to titrate a mini-drip for 30cc an hour than standard 15 or 20gtt tubing. We also used to use the 100cc burette tubing to control the drip rate of medications like antibiotics or dilantin mixed into the IV solutions. I remember being told when I first started working in the hospital to make sure I checked all my IV's at least once every hour to make sure they were running on time. All bottles, and eventually the plastic bags that we went to, were time stripped so you knew at a glance if your IV was running late or ahead. The wild card was a patient or visitor who got "creative" and started monkeying around with the roller clamp. Today, everything is on a pump or mini-infuser. It means less running around is all. Nothing beats that rush of adrenaline when you walk in a room and see an empty IV and the patient's blood backing halfway up his IV tubing! Ah, those were the good old days!

[Headhurt, ADN]

We use pumps for everything...except FFP, Albumin...unless something is expressly ordered to hang by gravity.

[zambezi, BSN, RN]

I basically put everything on a pump...even NS...I like to have an exact rate set...I usually put blood on a pump too...

The only things I don't put on a pump usually are:

albumin/hespan (post op Open Heart- I like to be able to run it in fast is I have to)

Blood if I am infusing it quickly (ie: