Infusion Therapy & Solutions Flashcards

During a rapid fluid bolus, which finding most strongly suggests circulatory overload?

Answer: Jugular venous distension and crackles in the lungs

JVD, crackles, dyspnea, and a bounding pulse are classic signs of fluid volume overload.

A patient becomes suddenly short of breath with chest pain while a CVAD cap is disconnected, and you suspect air embolism. How should you position the patient?

Answer: On the left side with the head lowered (Trendelenburg) if not contraindicated

Left side, head down helps trap air in the right atrium and away from the pulmonary outflow tract.

Per the INS Standards, how often should a primary continuous administration set that does not contain lipids, blood, or PN be changed?

Answer: No more often than every 96 hours, and at least every 7 days

INS says continuous primary sets should be changed no more often than every 96 hours but at least every 7 days, unless there is contamination or the system is compromised.

Which solution is compatible to infuse with packed red blood cells in the same administration set?

Answer: 0.9% sodium chloride

Only 0.9% NaCl is compatible with blood: dextrose can cause hemolysis, and the calcium in Lactated Ringer's can trigger clotting.

What is the most common cause of 'speed shock' during infusion therapy?

Answer: Giving an IV push medication too fast

Speed shock is a systemic reaction to a drug that enters the circulation too quickly, usually from a rapid IV push or an uncontrolled bolus.

Which of the following IV solutions is a colloid?

Answer: 5% albumin

Albumin is a colloid made of large protein molecules that stay in the vascular space and raise oncotic pressure; the other choices are crystalloids.

Which practice is correct for intravenous potassium chloride administration?

Answer: Infuse diluted KCl on an electronic infusion pump; never give it by IV push

Potassium must be diluted and given on a controlled-rate pump; IV push can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias.