DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2017.v05i05.004

Pages: 309-310

Intravenous (IV) medications are common among hospitalized patients. Medication, fluids, nutrition, and blood products can all be given via the intravenous route. It is the first choice for patients requiring sudden therapeutic effect, those with life threatening disease, unconscious patients, patients with vomiting etc. Depending on the medicine and therapeutic effect needed expert health professional decides the effective way of administration like bolus injection, continuous infusion, and intermittent infusion. Bolus injection provides a quick response. Some drugs which are typically given by IV route include immunoglobulin medications, medicines for pain management such as hydromorphone and morphine, antifungal drugs like micafungin and amphotericin, Antibiotic drugs like vancomycin, meropenem and gentamycin etc. Even though IV route provides 100% bioavailability it also possesses some side effects and complications. Sometimes it can lead to serious infections, phlebitis, air embolism, blood clots, hypersensitivity reactions etc. But these side effects can be minimized by careful intravenous administration.