Intravenous Medication Administrat... Health Article

Definition

Intravenous (IV) medication administration refers to the process of giving medication directly into a patient's vein. Methods of administering IV medication may include giving the medication by rapid injection (push) into the vein using a syringe, giving the medication intermittently over a specific amount of time using an IV secondary line, or giving the medication continuously mixed in the main IV solution. IV medications are most often given through a peripheral line or saline IV lock, but may also be administered direct IV, through an implanted vascular access port or through a central line.

Purpose

The primary purpose of giving IV medications is to initiate a rapid systemic response to medication. It is one of the fastest ways to deliver medication. The drug is immediately available to the body. It is easier to control the actual amount of drug delivered to the body by using the IV method and it is also easier to maintain drug levels in the blood for therapeutic response. The IV route for medication administration may be used if the medication to be delivered would be destroyed by digestive enzymes, is poorly absorbed by the tissue, or is painful or irritating when given by intra-muscular (IM) or subcutaneous (SQ) injection.

Precautions

Proper IV administration should follow the five "rights" of medication administration to avoid medication errors: be sure it is the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right time, and the right route before giving any medication.

The IV line must be intact before any IV medication can be administered. Some IV medications can cause severe tissue damage if injected into the tissue through an infiltrated IV site.

Some IV push medications must be diluted before injection. The health care professional must check the directions for giving the specific drug IV before performing the injection. Administration guidelines for giving IV medications must be followed to avoid serious complications from the drug injection. Most medical settings have an approved IV drug list and instructions for injecting each drug IV. Other resources include the PDR guide, drug administration handbooks, or printed inserts from the pharmaceutical company.

The drug delivery rate is an important factor when administering IV medication. Some IV drugs are meant to be delivered rapidly over several minutes to obtain therapeutic effect. Other drugs are most effective when delivered slowly and intermittently throughout the day. Each drug delivery rate is unique. Administration guidelines

for giving IV medications must be followed to achieve the therapeutic effect desired.

IV drugs may not be compatible with certain IV fluids or other drugs. Drug incompatibility is a true risk to the patient because it can cause crystallization of the medication that may at the least clog the IV line or at the worst have an embolus effect on the patient. The health care professional must check compatibility warnings that are included in IV drug administration guidelines. The line must be flushed with saline before and after giving medications IV to avoid contact of incompatible solutions or medications.

The effects of medication appear rapidly after an IV injection. The health care professional must know the indications, actions, and adverse effects of the medication that is to be delivered and must observe the patient closely for adverse medication reactions or allergic reactions and be prepared to respond with supportive therapy or drug reversing agents.