HOLD THE LINE An IV end cap offers a temporary, and helpful, obstruction.

IV ADVICE
Facilitate the Flow Of Secondary Drugs

When you're dripping in a secondary, piggyback drug such as IV acetaminophen, the line is attached to and administered through a port on the primary IV line, and it is always slow. But you can speed up the process. Take the end cap from the secondary tubing, fold the primary IV tubing above the port into the cap, and voila! Since the fluid flow of the primary IV will temporarily be blocked, the piggybacked secondary drug will be able to flow freely and quickly through the primary tubing. Once it's done, remove the end cap from the folded tubing and the primary IV will flow again.

John Hsu, MD
Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital
Whittier, Calif.
[email protected]