1. The Basics of Intravenous Fluid Administration
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2. The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
Page 210
The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
Intravenous (IV) fluids & medications are solutions that are placed directly into the blood stream via a vein. This is called infusion. Intravenous medications & solutions have a very quick effect. An IV medication may be prepared by a physician, nurse, pharmacist, or a pharmacy technician. IV solutions are also used to maintain & to replace fluids, to keep a vein open for further treatment, & provide therapy.

3. The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
Page 210
The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
The following are the common abbreviations used in IV administration:
Term
Abbreviation
Intravenous IV
Piggy-back PB
Drop/drops
gtt/gtts
Hour hr
Minutes
min
Drops per minute
gtts/min

4. The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
Pages 210 – 211
The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
Term
Abbreviation
Drops per milliliter
gtts/mL
Milliliters per hour
mL/hr
Water
H2O, W
5% dextrose water
D5W
10% dextrose water
D10W
Normal saline (0.9%) NS
One half normal saline (0.45%)
½ NS

5. The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
Page 211
The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
Term
Abbreviation
Ringer's lactate solution RL
Lactated Ringer's solution LR
Microdrip administration
Standard administration/ macrodrip administration
Blood administration
60 drops per milliliter
10, 15, 20 drops per milliliter
10 drops per milliliter

6. The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
Page 212
The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
To calculate VI infusion rates with a formula
Amount of fluid in milliliters (mL)
Total time of infusion in minutes
Administration set drop factor x
= Drops per minute

7. The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
Page 217
The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
Sometimes the infusion time in hours (a specific duration) is not given. The following formula will help solve the problem. V F = t
t = specific time in hours
V = volume in milliliters (mL)
F = flow rate in milliliters per hour

8. The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
Page 217
The Basics of IV Fluid Administration
Sometimes the total volume of fluid to be infused must be calculated. To calculated how much fluid will be infused, one may used a formula or dimensional analysis:
V = t x F
t = time in hours
V = volume in milliliters (mL)
F = flow rate in milliliters per hour