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During medication rounds one evening, a nurse hung an I.V. minibag containing the antibiotic cefoxitin (Mefoxin) for a diabetic teenager who had cellulitis of the right foot. The infusion was scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and finish infusing within a half hour.
When the night-shift nurse went to hang a second minibag at midnight, she found that the first bag was still full. The reason was simple-the evening nurse had forgotten to release the clamp from the tubing.
Needless to say, I.V. drug administration isn't complete until you check the solution to make sure it's infusing properly. This rule holds true whether you're using a gravity set or an electronic infusion control device. Had the evening nurse checked the infusion after she'd hung it, she could have discovered her oversight and corrected it.
Remember the basics: Check all new infusions within 10 minutes after starting them. And when checking, assess the entire system-from the bag to the I.V. site.