Intravenous: Continuous Infusion: Priming IV Tubing

Critical Elements

• Maintain aseptic technique

Procedure

Prior to Treatment: (Critical Thinking)

• Assess patients need for treatment.
• Gather equipment: IV tubing, IV solution.

Patient Interaction: (Safety)

• Patient identifiers.
• Provide for privacy.
• Explain procedure.
• Confirm allergies.
• Wash hands.

Steps of the Procedure (Patient Centered Care; Infection Control)

1. Remove IV administration set and fluid from packaging.
2. Close infusion rate clamp.
3. Remove the cover from the tubing spike and the cover from the bag of fluid.
4. Insert the spike into the bottle or bag aseptically.
5. Hang up the bag and squeeze the pump chamber of the administration set. Open the infusion rate clamp and let the fluid prime the tubing.

After Procedure (Patient Centered Care, Safety)

• Straighten room making patient comfortable, replace call light.
• Wash hands before leaving room.

Documentation (Informatics, Communication)

• No documentation is need for tubing priming unless the infusion is started.

Resources

• Infusion Nurses Society
• The Joint Commission