How do you manage medication drips

[crotchitymedic1986]

It is my opinion that you should not be allowed to hang medication drips if you do not have an IV pump or atleast a dial-a-flow. Imagine being a patient in ICU, and hearing your nurse say, "Yea, that looks like about 5mcgs per minute, wished we had a pump".

[chbare]

Forgot the good old syringe driver.

Take care,

chbare.

[spenac]

I use a pump and in case of pump failure we have dial a drips.

[akroeze]

We don't need no stinkin' pumps! Pressors are just titrate to effect anyway so you don't need to know exactly how much your giving. Just keep dialing it up slowly until you get the desired effect.

[crotchitymedic1986]

oh no he diiiiiddddddnnnnttttttt (sometimes you just have to say dddddddaaaaammmmmmnnnnnn).

[Just Plain Ruff]

I always thought is was the other way around. Open wide open and then titrate down for effect.

[spenac]

Wasn't there another post on this? Or did it magically dissappear?

[CTXMEDIC]

Wasn't there another post on this? Or did it magically dissappear?

there is/was. BTW..witrh pressors you just dial it up until they puke, then back it off just a hair.

[CBEMT]

Until last year dial-a-flows were state-required equipment. Then the state decided they were innacurate, banned them, and required all med drips be on a pump.

But since all drip meds are optional, whoever had them just pulled them instead of spending the money on pumps. The private services still have them on their paramedic units for cath lab runs though (nitro, heprin, etc).

Eventually the officers on my 911 department convinced the chief that with a 15-20 minute transport time, and no protocol-sanctioned treatment for stable VT without a pump, it's probably something we want to have. So we're getting pumps for each truck.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Each of our ambulances have a three channel pump on them. That way if we start three drugs that need pumps we have them available and ready to go.