American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP : official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Jul 1995
Comparative StudyIntravenous antihypertensive agents for patients unable to take oral medications.
The treatment of chronic hypertension in patients unable to take oral medications is challenging. Little information on the comparative safety and efficacy of i.v. alternatives is available. ⋯ Therapy should be selected on the basis of the individual patient's needs and diseases, the potential for adverse events, the monitoring required, drug costs, and the expected duration of therapy. The choices may be limited, but understanding the proper use of i.v. antihypertensives should enhance blood pressure control and patient care.
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Fluid-delivery rates of five small-volume infusion-pump syringes were compared. The study consisted of a comparison of the infusion-pump syringes in their respective infusion pumps (1) set for continuous delivery at 1 mL/hr, (2) set for continuous delivery at 3 mL/hr, and (3) set to deliver 1-mL bolus volumes during continuous delivery at 4 mL/hr. The Life-care prefilled 30-mL syringe (Abbott), the DBL 30-mL syringe no. 770205 (DBL Inc.), and the Pump-Jet 30-mL syringe no. 1931 (International Medication Systems) were tested in the Lifecare PCA Plus II infusion pump no. 4100 (Abbott). ⋯ The syringes delivered significantly different volumes during the first hour of infusion at both the 1- and 3-mL/hr rates. Differences also existed across time for most of the syringes. Bolus volumes varied greatly after infusion of 0 or 5 mL of fluid but were acceptable for the remainder of the infusions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)