Since I have been a PICC RN, I have never found a quick and easy reference to find a medication's pH and/or osm/L. So I finally decided to just create one. I built a web site dedicated to this list. Anyone may add a medication or make suggestions for an update and/or correction. New additions are added to the database instantly. Corrections/suggestions will be reviewed and then added.
The entire list is located on the first page. Also, I created an auto-suggest search (like google search box) if you prefer that method of browsing the list.
Please feel free add a medication not on the list if you happen to know one. I have started with apprx 120 of the most common vessicant and irritant medications. The web site is free to use...enjoy.
This looks very good. Thanks for sharing this. The osmolarity information would totally depend upon the type and amount of diluent being used. So It would be almost impossible to include every possible way to dilute every medication. May I include a link to this site in my online education courses? 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
sure, feel free to post it anywhere you would like.
I know listing all the details is near impossible, but I did allow for free text comments to be submitted. The comments will be visible when placing your mouse over the "info" text. This area will allow for more details when needed.
Thanks,
Kevin Arnold RN, MSN
It would be neat if you wrote up your project and submitted it for publication......
Thank you,
Kathleen
Kathleen Wilson, CRNI
I will post links to this site on my Facebook and Linked IN accounts, as well as on our FLAVAN website and Facebook, LinkedIN accounts. Great resource!
I applaude your efforts! You really should write a quick article on how/why you did this and get it published!
I often teach classes about IV therapy, and I am frequently asked where to find information on pH, until now, I could only refer people to Gahart's Intravnous Medicaitons book, a great resource. Now I will also refer them to your site!
Chris Cavanaugh, RN, BSN, CRNI, VA-BC
thank you for sharing.....
Kevin Arnold RN, MSN
Kevin!
This is fantastic! Thank you so much for all of your hard work!
Lynda
Thanks for sharing this. I will like this to Indiana Chapter of Infusion Nurses Soicety (IC-INS) facebook page and also share will our members.
Rose Galyan RN, BSN, CRNI
Speciality Practice Nurse
Vascular Access Team
Indiana University Hospital Bloomington
[email protected]
Thanks for posting to your group.
And thanks to all who have added to the list thus far.
Kevin Arnold RN, MSN
I use this almost daily at every training session I give. This is a great resource, thank you very much,
France Paquet, RN, MSC, VA-BC(TM), CVAA(c)
Clinical Practice Consultant, IV therapy and Vascular Access
Transition support office
McGill University Health Center
Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
Thanks to all that have added to the list.
note: to help with accuracy of posting data, I added the a date/time stamp to be visible (info area) for each medication.
Kevin Arnold RN, MSN
Thank you for your contribution to infusion therapy/vascular access. I saw this listing on the FLAVAN website. I have passed out a simialr listing with a VAD selection tool on the other side for all the nurses in the nursing homes and IV classes I taught. Used Trissel & Gahart.
Kevin,
Didn't get to add on my previous posting, I sure wish I would have had your site for my classes!
Thanks again!
sure, i could make it do that. It may take me a bit to go back and enter the data, but I will put it on my to do list.
Kevin Arnold RN, MSN
went over 10,000 visits to the site this month...reposting to share :)
Kevin Arnold RN, MSN
This is a very convenient way to find out the pH of each medication. But I still need more information about the osmolarity for those that are posted. Osmolarity depends upon the type and amount of diluent. So we will have to know how the medication is diluted to be able to achieve the same osmolarity. Is there a way that this information can be included for osmolarity? 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
Can you email me some examples of what you would want presented? [email protected]
Kevin Arnold RN, MSN
Drug dose + volume + type of diligent. Cefazolin1 gram in 10 ml sterile water has a very different osmolarity than Cefazolin 1 gram in 50 ml NS or 2 grams in 100 ml D5W. Each of these are same drug but osmolarity for each compounded solution is different.
pH does not change but osmolarity does change with volume and type of diligent. 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
Drug dose + volume + type of diligent. Cefazolin1 gram in 10 ml sterile water has a very different osmolarity than Cefazolin 1 gram in 50 ml NS or 2 grams in 100 ml D5W. Each of these are same drug but osmolarity for each compounded solution is different.
pH does not change but osmolarity does change with volume and type of diligent. 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
I will think on this. I'm assuming everything will be known and just entered in. You were not wanting it to calculate it for you right?
For now I do have an area for additional comments that are viewable when you place your mouse over the "info" link.
I could just create another popup area that is specific to the osm/L. I really cant display tons of data per row or it will get too hard to read. I can make anything come up in a pop up though. Would that accomplish more of what you are looking for?
Kevin Arnold RN, MSN
Osmolarity column means very little without the volume & type of diligent. For premixed meds this information is on product label. For those compounded by pharmacy or nurses, osmolarity must be calculated. 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
Kevin, Here's an idea for you. How about highlighting in red those drugs that have abnormal ph? Easy then to look down thru.
Cheryl Kelley RN BSN, VA-BC
highlighting the out of range numbers is not that hard to program in....will be a bit before I have time to get any changes done though.
Lynn....so it sounds like you really have to have a calculator function to accomplish knowing all of the osm/L's. As I could build this if I had all of the data needed, I really wanted the purpose of this site to be a quick reference to common irritant and vesicant medications. I would not want anyone to depend on this to calculate anything that specific, as if there was an error data used in the math, etc...i would be at fault. I would not mind creating a text area to pop up for each medications that would include "common" osm/Ls with "common" drug dosages, etc. This would be just text written out that would not changed.
But in general I envisioned the site just having the range of possibilities (example: 450 - 760)....as a way to alert the nurse that it could be an issue. Then they should consult their facility's pharmacy, etc to get exact details if needed. Ideally, most all of the medications that commonly are out of a safe range for infusing in a PIV would be on the list as "an alert."
I plan to continue to make improvements to the site (when time allows), but I dont feel I could accomplish creating a safe, full proof calculator at this point. (unless the user was inputting all of the data...but then they really wouldn't need to use the site right?)
Kevin Arnold RN, MSN
Thanks Kevin for your great website creation. It will be so easy to use at any computer I am at. I just found this when I was taking a walk through the site as I am new to it. My main resource has been my daughter. She graduated 3 years ago with her PharmD and then went on to do a 2 year residency in Critical Care/ Infectious Disease Pharmacy. She now works at a University Hospital and has an incredible level of pharmacy resources available. We have a lot of fun. She calls me when she wants to know what size IV she should have nurses infuse a med through and I have called her about pH/osmolarity and other pharmacy questions. I sent her the link to your site. I hope she may be able to contribute from time to time. I have pasted below an IV medication book recommended and used by my daughter and the other pharmacists where she works. I got it this past August so the price is fairly current. The pH is listed immediately with the drug name, no hunting. Osmolarity is still an issue as Lynn discussed. It has been a great reference. Mary Penn RN Vascular Access Nurse
2013 Intravenous Medications: A Handbook for Nurses and Health Professionals, 29e
Sold by Amazon.com LLC (Amazon.com)
Mary Penn RN Vascular Access Nurse
I have been using this book since it first was published in the early 1970's. In my opinion, it is THE reference for giving any drug by the IV route. There is no other book as comprehensive. It does not contain osmolarity because the type and amount of diluent changes the osmolarity. The type and amount of diluent does not change the drug pH. No other book comes close to having the information that is in this book. 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
Lynn, I'm glad you agree on the quality of this reference. I had no problem recommending it to others. I had no doubt that a PharmD with 2 extra years of residency could give me a reliable source that I could use and recommend to other nurses. If a PharmD uses it in the care of patients any nurse should feel comfortable. This and yet it is very readable so that you don't have to have a doctorate in pharmacy to understand it. You are correct about dilution and pH and osmolarity.
Mary Penn RN Vascular Access Nurse