Methods for intravenous drug administration in the pediatric patient

Abstract

Variation in the rate of iv drug delivery to the patient occurs secondary to influences of the site selected for injection of the drug into the iv system, the rate of flow of the iv solution, and the drug dosage volume. The involvement of each of these factors in producing varying rates of iv drug infusion is virtually assured by the wide range of drug dosage volumes and iv fluid rates required within the pediatric population. Because of the importance of delivering medications at a known rate, a uniform protocol for iv drug therapy was developed for pediatric patients and implemented at the university of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. The protocol, which utilizes either a syringe infusion pump or manual retrograde injection technique, has been shown to be a practical, safe, dependable, and effective means to deliver both iv fluids and medications at a desired or known rate.