Sub Q questions

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cat and sweet max

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Can I use every last drop?

Should I change the tubing with each new bag?

With a 20 ga needle, how slow does it go?

Does it usually get harder to get and accurate read around the 9 mark?

Thanks in advance. We are taking the Yorkie to the Oncologist tomorrow. Please keep her in your payers.

Cat, Sweet Max, and gang
 
Yes you should use a new tubing with a new bag, it will be far more sterile this way.

I'm using an 18g needle with my cat but the actual flow rate is determined by the roller clamp and the degree in which you turn it to.

I'm using knowledge I know about people IV's so anyone correct my guessing if it's wrong.
 
i change the tubing every 2nd use, per my vet's instructions. pretty much get every bit but the last few drops from the bag. keep it and tubing in very dark cabinet (light and heat exposure aren't great for it).
i think the 20 gauge needles are pretty good and fast enuf.
from #9 mark to bottom is 100ml, assuming it's a 1,000 ml bag.
keeping yorkie in my prayers.
 
> Can I use every last drop?

We used close to every last drop, but monitored the line carefully during the final administration. As soon as air entered the line, we immediately stopped the fluids.


> Should I change the tubing with each new bag?

We changed the tubing with each new bag.


> With a 20 ga needle, how slow does it go?

That depends on several things: how much you open the wheel clamp on the line; the type of needle you use (Terumo needles have a thinner wall than most other 20 gauge needles so, all other things being equal, fluids tend to go faster); whether you squeeze the bag to make the fluids go faster (we never did, but I know of others who have); whether there are any kinks in the line that might slow down administration (can be either a partial twist in the line or a place where the wheel clamp has compressed the line and the tubing didn't fully revert to it's 'round' shape when the clamp was released); how long the line is and whether it's more horizontal or vertical (lines that are mostly vertical seem to flow faster, at least to me).

It also depends on the needle insertion. Sometimes you just hit a spot where the fluids don't go very fast. If that happens, you can try pushing the needle in or out a little bit and see if that helps; it usually did with Gwyn. It usually took us about 5 minutes to give Gwyn her fluids, but I never tried to rush it. Gwyn had heart problems and I didn't want to stress her out any more than I absolutely had to.


> Does it usually get harder to get and accurate read around the 9 mark?

Sometimes it just *felt* like it did. And sometimes, it actually *is* harder to read: for example, if you forgot to close the clamp wheel when you inserted the venoset and some of the air has escaped from the bag, then the bag will have a "collapsed" appearance and the levels will be harder to read. You may want to refresh yourself with the felinecrf instructions here.


> We are taking the Yorkie to the Oncologist tomorrow. Please keep her in your payers.

Will do, and good luck to all of you! --

Jean and her Gwyn
 
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