I am looking for opinions regarding a patient receiving a Heparin drip, and needing an IVAB that is compatible with Heparin. Is it best practice to insert a second PIV for the IVAB, or piggyback in to the Heparin infusion? There is discussion about altering the flow of the Heparin, vs the risk of an additional PIV. Thanks so much.
The heparin infusion would require an infusion pump for accurate rate control. So this question is directly related to the capibilities of your infusion pump. Most will allow a piggyback without any alteration of the rate of the primary infusion. If that is not the case with the specific pump being used, then you could have a multiple lumen extension set attached to the peripheral catheter to give the antibiotic intermittently through one lumen while the pump infuses the heparin through the other lumen. As long as the antibiotic is definitely compatible with the heparin, that is what I would recommend. I would avoid extra sites if at all possible due to additional risk and costs. Lynn
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