Home Infusion

A. No. The hospital will supply the medication and supplies needed during your admission.

A. Normally 2-3 hours is enough time for it to warm to room temperature.

A.  Please contact your pharmacist for further explanation or to report any side effects.

A. Medication should be stored at a controlled room temperature. Avoid direct sunlight, areas exposed to excessive moisture (bathroom) and excessive heat/cold (over or around heating or air conditioning vents). It is also important to store medications out of reach of children and pets.

A. The medication can still be used on the expiration date. Do not use the medication if the infusion will be completed the following day.

A. If you have any problems or questions regarding the administration of your therapy you should contact your home care nurse who will assist you as needed. Our home infusion team is also available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week to assist you with any questions you may have regarding the administration of your therapy.

A. If there is not medication infusing through your line, flush your line as previously instructed and close the clamp. If your catheter does not flush easily, do not flush forcefully. Contact your nurse who will visit to evaluate your line.

A. If you have been trained to change your dressing always change it when it becomes loose or wet. If you have not received training to change your dressing, tape the edges of your dressing to your skin and avoid placing tension on your line. Call your nursing agency; a visit will be required to change the dressing.

A. Yes. Cover your dressing with plastic wrap, secured all outside edges with tape. Do not allow the water stream to spray directly on your IV site. After bathing, remove the plastic wrap immediately and pat dry any moisture that has accumulated under the plastic wrap.

A. No. It is not safe to warm medication using any heat source. Medication should be warmed at room temperature only. You can hold the medication bag/syringe in your hands, allowing body heat to slowly warm the solution, or wait until the medication reaches room temperature.

A. Check your IV line and medication tubing to ensure all clamps are open and there are no kinks in the line or tubing. Change your position. Stop the pump and disconnect the tubing from your IV line. Attempt to flush your IV catheter with saline. Do not force-flush if you meet resistance. Call your nurse if you are having any trouble. If the line flushes without resistance, test-start the pump before reconnecting to your IV line to determine if the IV tubing is the problem. If the occlusion alarm continues, when the IV is not attached to your line, the IV tubing may need to be changed. Please contact your nurse for assistance with troubleshooting.

A. No. Call your nurse to report any signs of redness or swelling. The nurse will arrange a visit to evaluate your IV before you administer another infusion.