IV+Piggy+Back

Please be prepared to give your medications at the time ordered. You should know what the medications are, how they work, why you think your patient is getting the medication and nursing considerations. You may bring your drug info with you to the med. station.

If you are giving IV piggyback, please know the compatability with other meds and the flow rate.

Calculating flow rate:


 * Flow rate refers to number of ml of fluid to be infused over one hour (ml/hr).

Formula:

total # of milliliters (volume) divided by the total # of hours = X ml/hr

Example:

Order: 500 ml NS bolus over 3 hours

Critical information:


 * Volume = 500 ml
 * Time = 3 hours

500 ml divided by 3 hrs = ?

500 / 3 = 166.67 Answer: 166.67 ml/hr or 167

For further help on flow rate, go to www.accd.edu/sac/nursing/math/ivprob.html