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Difficulty: EasyPharmacological and Parenteral Therapies

While caring for a client with a continuous intravenous (IV) infusion of normal saline, the nurse receives a new prescription for an IV push analgesic. Which action is the most critical for the nurse to perform before injecting the medication into the existing IV line?

  1. Verify the compatibility of the analgesic with the continuous normal saline infusion.Answer
  2. B
    Delegate the post-administration pain assessment to an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP).
  3. C
    Calculate a new gravity drip rate for the normal saline to run simultaneously with the IV push.
  4. D
    Place the client in a supine position to ensure rapid central distribution of the analgesic.

Answer

The most critical action is to verify the compatibility of the analgesic with the continuous normal saline infusion.
Before administering any intravenous medication through an existing continuous IV line, it is a fundamental safety requirement to verify that the medication is compatible with the infusing fluid. Incompatible solutions can form precipitates, inactivate the medication, or cause life-threatening emboli in the client's bloodstream.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the route of administration and the existing setup.
The prescribed medication is an IV push intended for an active IV line running normal saline.
Understanding the current IV setup is necessary to identify potential chemical or physical interactions.
2
Determine the safety requirements for administering multiple IV substances simultaneously.
The nurse must ensure that the new medication and the continuous IV fluid will not adversely react with each other.
Mixing incompatible medications in the IV line can lead to precipitation, drug inactivation, or severe adverse client reactions.
3
Select the appropriate priority action.
Verifying compatibility is chosen as the first and most critical step before administration.
This action directly prevents the administration of incompatible substances, ensuring client safety.

Key Concept

Safe Intravenous (IV) Medication Administration and Compatibility
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies

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