For anyone responsible for giving medications by the IV route, you will need access to this book - Intravenous Medications, by Gahart and Nazareno, published annually by Mosby. This is the best resource for all IV administration questions. DHE has a pH between 3.2 to 4, indicating a CVAD. But this drug will usually not require frequent dosing or long term dosing. In fact, you can not administer more than 2 doses or 2 mg total in a 24 hour period or 6 mg in 1 week. This means that the risk of CVAD insertion is much greater than giving this by peripheral vein. So choose the smallest gauge catheter in the largest vein possible. It is not a vesicant and can be given IM or SC. See the monograph in the book for all the details you need. Lynn
For anyone responsible for giving medications by the IV route, you will need access to this book - Intravenous Medications, by Gahart and Nazareno, published annually by Mosby. This is the best resource for all IV administration questions. DHE has a pH between 3.2 to 4, indicating a CVAD. But this drug will usually not require frequent dosing or long term dosing. In fact, you can not administer more than 2 doses or 2 mg total in a 24 hour period or 6 mg in 1 week. This means that the risk of CVAD insertion is much greater than giving this by peripheral vein. So choose the smallest gauge catheter in the largest vein possible. It is not a vesicant and can be given IM or SC. See the monograph in the book for all the details you need. Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
126 Main Street, PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861