8.1 Flushing between medicines

Flushing is simply the introduction of a small amount of fluid into a cannula, catheter or administration set to deliver the contents of the lumen into the patient. Flushing ensures the full dose of a medicine is given to the patient and prevents incompatible substances mixing in the devices. It is standard practice to flush before and after the administration of a medicine. If giving multiple medicines one after the other, a flush must be given between the individual medicines to avoid interaction between potentially incompatible drugs. Flushes are administered using ANTT, as described above.

Cannulae are usually flushed with 5–10 mL of sodium chloride 0.9% or glucose 5%. Check the individual monograph in Section B to ascertain which fluid is suitable as a flush for a particular medicine. The majority of medicines are compatible with sodium chloride, but there are a few notable exceptions, including amiodarone and phytomenadione, which should be flushed with glucose 5%. Cannulae in neonates and young children require less than 1 mL of flush fluid.

Adult central venous catheters should be flushed with 10 mL sodium chloride 0.9% as the volume of the lumen is much larger than in a cannula. Paediatric catheters generally require a smaller volume, while a neonatal catheter may require just 2 mL to be flushed.

Administration sets

Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel

Join