A nurse is caring for a client with a confirmed pulmonary embolism who is receiving a continuous intravenous (IV) infusion of heparin at through a single-lumen peripheral venous catheter. The healthcare provider prescribes a scheduled dose of IV levofloxacin to infuse over for a concurrent bacterial pneumonia. Upon reviewing a pharmacological reference, the nurse discovers that heparin and levofloxacin are physically incompatible. Which of the following is the most appropriate action by the nurse?
- Insert a new peripheral venous catheter in a different extremity to administer the levofloxacin.Cevap
- BStop the heparin infusion, flush the catheter with normal saline, infuse the levofloxacin, flush again, and resume the heparin.
- CAttach the levofloxacin secondary tubing to the primary tubing Y-site port closest to the client's insertion site.
- DAdminister the levofloxacin simultaneously with the heparin by utilizing a dual-channel intravenous infusion pump.
Cevap
Insert a new peripheral venous catheter in a different extremity to administer the levofloxacin.
The correct action is to establish a new peripheral intravenous access site. Because heparin and levofloxacin are physically incompatible, they cannot be mixed in the same IV tubing or single-lumen catheter without risking crystallization and precipitation. Furthermore, because heparin is a critical high-alert medication with a very short half-life, pausing the infusion for the 60 minutes required to administer the antibiotic would place the client at immediate risk for thrombus extension.
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Anahtar Kavram
Intravenous Medication Compatibility and Continuous Infusion Safety