Reconstituting Parenteral Medications From a Powder

Chapter 10

1. A nurse is preparing to reconstitute a medication. Which of these diluents should the nurse use?
2. 0.9% sodium chloride solution
3. The diluent recommended by the manufacturer of the drug
4. Sterile water for injection
5. 5% dextrose solution (D₅W)
6. A nurse is preparing to administer an IV medication that has been reconstituted. To prevent undissolved particles of medication from entering the patient’s bloodstream, the nurse should:
7. Vigorously shake the vial after reconstituting the medication.
8. Wait at least 2 hours before administering the medication so the particles settle to the bottom of the vial.
9. Send the vial to the pharmacy to be filtered.
10. Use IV tubing that has an inline filter in place.
11. A bacteriostatic medication:
12. Kills bacteria
13. Keeps bacteria from being distributed throughout the body
14. Inhibits bacterial reproduction
15. Prevents bacterial infections
16. Which of the following does not need to be written on the label when a vial is reconstituted?
17. The initials of the person reconstituting the medication
18. The time of reconstitution
19. The time the reconstituted medication was administered to the patient
20. The expiration date and time of the reconstituted medication
21. Why should some powdered medications not be reconstituted until just before administration to the patient?
22. These medications may become inactive or act unpredictably if reconstituted too early.
23. These medications must be semidissolved to be active.
24. It wastes time to prepare a medication too far in advance.
25. The patient must verify the correct reconstitution method.
26. The nurse is preparing to administer a multiple-strength drug to a client on renal dialysis with a fluid restriction. The directions on the label state that each 2.5-mL vial should be reconstituted with 7.5 mL of normal saline and can optionally be added to 50 mL or 100 mL of normal saline for administration. What is the final concentration that the nurse should select to administer this drug to this client?
27. 10 mL
28. 50 mL
29. 60 mL
30. 110 mL
31. The nurse just finished preparing a multiple-strength medication and is about to take it to a client’s room. What is the most appropriate action before transporting the medication?
32. Label the syringe with the name and dose of the medication.
33. Label the syringe with the client’s room number and medication name.
34. Label the syringe with the drug name, amount of diluent added, and medication’s final concentration.
35. Label the syringe with the six rights of medication administration.
36. A new graduate nurse is reconstituting parenteral medications for administration. Which of the following actions requires intervention from the experienced nurse? Select all that apply.
37. Discarding the remainder of a single-dose vial after drawing up the needed dosage
38. Adding a diluent volume different than one recommended by the manufacturer for a multiple-strength medication
39. Using a previously reconstituted medication from a multiple-dose vial that is past expiration
40. Labeling a multiple-strength medication with the amount of diluent added and final concentration
41. Drawing up a dose from a single-dose vial reconstituted earlier that morning

Use the following label to answer questions 9–13.

1. What is the usual dosage of cefotaxime for a child weighing less than 50 kg? _________
2. How much diluent should be added to reconstitute the cefotaxime? __________
3. What is the final concentration of cefotaxime after reconstitution? __________
4. How long is reconstituted cefotaxime stable? _____________________
5. A provider orders cefotaxime, 100 mg/kg/day, IV, every 6 hours for a child who weighs 5 kg. What volume (mL) of reconstituted cefotaxime should be administered per dose? Round to the nearest tenth mL. ______________

Use the following label to answer questions 14–18.

1. What is the usual dosage of oxacillin? ______________________
2. How much diluent should be added to reconstitute the oxacillin? __________
3. What is the final concentration of oxacillin after reconstitution? __________
4. How long is reconstituted oxacillin stable? _____________________
5. A provider orders oxacillin, 25 mg/kg/day, IV, every 8 hours for a child who weighs 4 kg. What volume (mL) of reconstituted oxacillin should be administered per dose? Round to the nearest tenth mL. ___________