Caution should also be used when doing so. An excellent way to prepare for standard drip rates and concentrations is to develop a chart with the drip rates already calculated for ease. Knowing the three methods of dosing calculations can serve as a check and balance system to verify dose arrived at by calculator use and is recommended to avoid medication errors.

One wrong decimal place can become a ten-fold error that can cause life-threatening complications for patients. Preparing a dose calculation is best done with the use of a calculator, particularly in a stressful situation. Without this air entering the glass vial/bottle, the release of the fluid will eventually cause a suction, and the medication will stop flowing. If this is the case, make sure to use a drip tubing that has a vent port to allow air into the bottle. Some medications that are infused come in a glass vial. This pin causes the drops to be tiny, hence the term micro set. A clinician will see a micro set adapter that looks like a small silver pin coming from the bag end of the chamber. One easy way to differentiate the two is by looking into the drip chamber.

When giving most medications via continuous infusion, micro drip sets are the preferred method. The other drip set is a micro set, and it either takes 45 or 60 drops to make 1 mL. Most macro sets are either 10, 15 or 20 drops to make 1 mL. One is a macro set that uses larger drops to add to 1 mL. There are two different styles of administration drip sets (gtt/set). When calculating infusions, it is important to use a drip chamber and know how many drops are needed to administer one mL of the fluid. Anytime a practitioner delivers a medication through an intravenous (IV) port they must use a flush to push the drug into the IV tubing or a bag of fluid such as normal saline. A needle and syringe will be needed to remove a medicine or fluid from a vial. The equipment needed to administer fluids can vary depending on how it is going to be administered.

Macro vs micro drip sets