Our Surgi-Center is asking if they could set-up IV infusions for the next day. They want to spike a bag of fluid and prime tubings so they will be ready to go the next morning. Does anyone already do this? Is there any documentation to support this or reasons not to? These would be locked in the med room and used in less than 24 hours.
Thanks,  Marjorie Ashley CRNI, IV Therapy, Fall River, MA
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I do not think this is a safe practice. Anything could happen to those open fluids and tubings overnight. You have not way to know if they have been disturbed or tampered with. You should check with the manufacturer of the fluid containers and sets you use for their recommendation. You should also get input from ISMP on this issue. My opinion is that it is not safe.
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI
www.hadawayassociates.com
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
We, and our infection control department, nixed this practice in our outpatient endoscopy unit.
Somewhat different circumstances, but this may give you incentive to stop the practice:
Intravenous drip patient dies
June 13, 2008
A clinic where patients died or fell ill after receiving intravenous drips had sloppy hygiene control, such as sharing the same hand towels among nurses, it has emerged.
Tanimoto Orthopedic Clinic in Iga, Mie Prefecture, is accused of keeping mixed intravenous drip solutions for a period of time before administering them to patients.
One of the patients, a 73-year-old woman, died after receiving an intravenous drip at the clinic, while several other patients fell ill.
“We used to keep mixed intravenous drip solutions for a while,” said Hiromichi Tanimoto, head of the hospital, as he met reporters in front of the clinic on Thursday.
Mari Cordes, BS RN
Mari Cordes, BS RNIII VA-BC
Vascular Access Department
University of Vermont Medical Center
It does not take a long time to prime an IV tubing.