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Administering parenteral nutrition
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Parenteral nutrition must be infused carefully. Here are some expert tips to help you manage total parenteral nutrition (TPN) therapy more efficiently:
- Don't play catch-up with flow rates. Speeding up and slowing down a TPN infusion alters a patient's blood glucose level.
- Don't allow the TPN solution to hang for more than 24 hours.
- Change the TPN tubing and filter every 24 hours.
- If the TPN container is damaged and you can't find an immediate replacement, administer dextrose 10% at the same rate as the TPN so the patient doesn't experience an extreme hypoglycemic reaction. Monitor him because the blood glucose level may still change significantly.
- Don't use a lumen dedicated to TPN for other functions, such as blood product infusions, bolus injections, simultaneous I.V. solutions, blood draws for laboratory analysis, or measurement of central venous pressure. If a multiple-lumen catheter is being used, label one lumen as "TPN only."
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