For those who must go in-center to get IV iron, how is it given…through access or in opposite arm, during a tx or with IV pump?
Iv iron is usually given while you are on dialysis. They run it through an iv pump or gravity flow. When hubby was in center it was given through iv pump. At home we give it pre blood pump gravity flow. We inject the iron into 100 ml bag of saline. In the beginning they usually do a test run with you to see if you are allergic to it or have any side effects.
Does anyone doing home txs have to go in-center to get your IV iron using only a IV pump…no tx just using an IV stand? Wondering how many do it this way? If iron is not given IV during a tx, but with an IV stand, should the access arm be used or opposite arm?
opposite arm with IV needle in a vein. Just gravity flow from a bag with some saline mixed in. This was infed iron I think or whatever the newish one is that is suppossed to be so great. It’s not for me, I actually got special permission to use my catheter for it. After my arm turned purple a few times.
hope this helps;
LSB
We do home hemo and give it ourselves. It is much easier for us than having to drive 1.5 hrs to get it and then another needle put in arm. It is really simple to do yourself. You just pull out the amount of iron you need from the bottle with a syringe and inject it into a 100 ml bag of saline. Attach it to your dialysis hookup and let it run itn gravity flow.
At first, yes…all I.V. iron was beeing administered at the clinic, BUT I decided to stop I.V. iron and went oral iron instead…
However, it was beeing administered slowly through a 10cc syringe, not an I.V. pole…
[QUOTE=Gus;11627]At first, yes…all I.V. iron was beeing administered at the clinic, BUT I decided to stop I.V. iron and went oral iron instead…
However, it was beeing administered slowly through a 10cc syringe, not an I.V. pole…[/QUOTE]
How many minutes would you say and access arm or opposite arm? Has anyone been taught that an IV put into the opposite arm can damage a possible future access site?
delphine,we have noticed that in some home programs like yours, there is no restriction on giving IV iron at home. When we asked about why some home programs permit IV iron administration at home and others do not, we were told that IV iron is very risky in that even if the patient does not have a reaction to it at first, a reaction can occur at any time. Has anyone ever discussed this with their home team-we are wondering what safe and effective alternatives there are to giving iron is if we can’t give it at home IV.
I won’t say, its confidential. Sorry…but I will say it took from 8-15min…
I also want to say to all of you home patients that if you can take oral iron I would go that route and not the I.V. iron…
Unregistered, I would suggest you read the posts on IV iron the risks are discussed more indepth in those post.
We mix 5ml Venofer with 5 ml normal saline in a 10 ml syringe and administer through the venous catheter limb just after removing the heparin lock at a rate of 2 ml every 2 minutes (10 minutes in all) followed by our usual 3 ml heparin bolus and 10 ml normal saline flush just prior to startup. We’ve experience no problems, but I have an EpiPen handy in the unlikely event of an anaphylactic reaction. We administer the iron every two weeks, and it has helped my wife maintain a good iron level, something we could never do when she had to go in for an iron series whenever her iron sturation became too low.
Mel