Setting drip rates

Amberlamps916

Amberlamps916

Droog
Messages
1,199
Reaction score
62
Points
48
What are some of the ways you guys ensure the most accurate drip rates with your flow regulators? Macro or Micro drip.
 
using a pump.

Micro is more accurate than macro, but is not always the most practical...It depends on the situation, pt, med,etc.
 
I wish we were able to use pumps :angry:
 
Only way I've ever seen people do is count for 15 seconds.
 
Dial-a-flow? It works okay, but we just got pumps where I'm at and I know we're all stoked on those because our shortest transfers are generally 1+ hours.
 
Not a fan of dial-a-flows either. We've got pumps and micro drips.
 
Pump and dial-a-flow or do do the math and count your drips with a 60-drip set.
 
Count the drips or a dial-a-flow. Only evy used a dial a flow once on a ER to ER transfer for a dopamine drip that I got yelled at for taking...apparently we can initiate them on standing orders in the field but we can't take them on IFTs... :rolleyes:
 
NVRob said:
Count the drips or a dial-a-flow. Only evy used a dial a flow once on a ER to ER transfer for a dopamine drip that I got yelled at for taking...apparently we can initiate them on standing orders in the field but we can't take them on IFTs... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Seriously dude? What's the reasoning behind that?
 
Do the calculation at 60gtts and 10gtts.

Whichever is easiest to set the dial to is the best one.
 
Addrobo87 said:
Seriously dude? What's the reasoning behind that?
Click to expand...

The problem came from me taking the drip off a pump and putting on the 60 set plus the dial-a-flow. It was recently after I cleared my FTO time and didn't necessarily get into trouble, more of a "hey in the future don't do that, but good job titrating it up per the MD's orders to maintain his BP by the way."

CCPs are the only medics that carry pumps here so I should have called for a CCP.

Only exception, as it was explained to me, is if I initiated the drip and transported to one of the smaller ERs then stayed on scene at the hospital and transferred that patient out to one of our main hospitals before they swapped the drip onto a pump.

In all honesty I think it has a lot to do with billing but I don't know that for a fact so that's just what I think, can't say for certain.

Veneficus said:
Do the calculation at 60gtts and 10gtts.

Whichever is easiest to set the dial to is the best one.
Click to expand...

Probably the simplest and best advice given in this thread thus far.

The general rule I have always been taught is 250 gtts is about as fast as you can count and be anywhere close to being accurate.

Random side thought, anyone know why dial-a-flows are numbered so funky?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
NVRob said:
Probably the simplest and best advice given in this thread thus far.

The general rule I have always been taught is 250 gtts is about as fast as you can count and be anywhere close to being accurate.
Click to expand...

My math skills are so bad that I just find it easier to divide by 10 than 60.
 
Veneficus said:
My math skills are so bad that I just find it easier to divide by 10 than 60.
Click to expand...

Aren't physics and all that awful stuff required for med school? (with preferable grades)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just because it is required doesn't mean you will be any good at it years after.
 
Aidey said:
Just because it is required doesn't mean you will be any good at it years after.
Click to expand...

He's good at everything that comes from a textbook <_<

Vene saying his math skills are awful probably means they are awful compared to Newton, Einstein and Emmet Brown.
 
NYMedic828 said:
Aren't physics and all that awful stuff required for med school? (with preferable grades)
Click to expand...

Yea, but the secret is the only equation you really need in chem is the ideal gas law. I also took "physics for healthcare providers" which is not very math intensive, you learn all about and only the physics that applies to medicine.

Calc. not required.

edit: math is a way of imagining for people who do not have imagination.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Addrobo87 said:
What are some of the ways you guys ensure the most accurate drip rates with your flow regulators? Macro or Micro drip.
Click to expand...

Hang the bag up at least a foot above the heart with the truck not moving and count the drops in the manner I can guarantee an accurate rate (easiest to count accurately in the fastest time): 15sec, 30sec, or 60sec.

That's the only way I know how to do that without a pump.
 
I used to count gtts for 10 sec to get an idea of the rate, did my assessment, then would spend a little more time counting gtts for 30 seconds, swapped in the dial-a-flow and set the rate with that. I never trusted the dial-a-flow... I'm a much bigger fan of actual pumps. I'll still count gtts for a few seconds to see if the pump is "about right" as far as the rate it's supposed to be set for.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top