• Medication errors involving insulins have resulted in serious patient harm and death. Clarify all ambiguous orders and do not accept orders using the abbreviation “u” for units, which can be misread as a zero or the numeral 4 and has resulted in tenfold overdoses. Insulins are available in different types and strengths. Check type, dose, and expiration date with another licensed nurse. Do not interchange insulins without consulting health care professional.

• Do not confuse Novolog with Humalog or Novolin. Do not confuse Novolog FlexPen with Novolog Mix 70/30 FlexPen. Do not confuse Novolog Mix 70/30 with Novolin 70/30.
• Due to the short duration of action, insulin aspart must be used with a longer-acting insulin or insulin infusion pump therapy.
• Check type, species source, dose, and expiration date with another licensed nurse. Do not interchange insulins without consulting health care professional.
  • Use only insulin syringes to draw up dose. The unit markings on the insulin syringe must match the insulin's units/mL.
  • When mixing insulins, draw insulin aspart into syringe first to avoid contamination of regular insulin vial. Administer immediately after mixing. Do not mix with crystalline zinc insulin preparations.
  • Insulin aspart should be refrigerated, but do not freeze or administer solution if it has been frozen. Cartridges or vials may be kept at room temperature for up to 28 days if kept from excessive heat and sunlight. Do not use if cloudy, discolored, or unusually viscous. Never use the cartridge after the expiration date on the cartridge or on the box.
  • Because of the short duration of insulin aspart, supplementation with longer-acting insulin is usually necessary to control blood glucose levels.
• SC: Administer insulin aspart SUBQ in the abdominal wall, thigh, or upper arm within 5–10 min before a meal. Rotate injection sites to prevent lipodystrophy and cutaneous amyloidosis. Repeated insulin injections into areas of localized cutaneous amyloidosis may cause hyperglycemia; a sudden change to an unaffected injection site may cause hypoglycemia.
  • When used in pumps: Change the solution in the reservoir at least every 6 days, change the infusion set, and the infusion set insertion site at least every 3 days. Do not mix with other insulins or with a diluent when used in the pump.

IV Administration:

• IV: May be given IV in selected clinical situations under appropriate medical supervision. Diluent: Dilute with 0.9% NaCl or D5W in infusion systems using polypropylene infusion bags. Concentration: 0.05–1 unit/mL.
• May be administered via disposable external insulin pump. Do not administer solution that appears thickened, cloudy, discolored, or contains particles. Store cartridges for pump in refrigerator. Do not mix with other insulins or solutions when used with pump. Choose a new infusion site every 48 hr. Discard cartridges after 7 days, even if solution remains.