How to Prime Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, which is a potent medication used to fight cancer, is very toxic and requires special precautions when it is handled by medical personnel. It is commonly administered via the intravenous (IV) route. If you are a nurse taking care of a patient on chemotherapy, you must exercise caution when priming the line to prevent the medication from spilling onto the counter or getting on your skin and clothes.

Things You'll Need

• Absorbent pad (or chux)
• Chemosafety gown
• 2 pairs of latex gloves
• Chemotherapy bag
• Solution piggyback (normal saline or dextrose)
• IV tubing

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Instructions

Setting Up

• 1

  Check the chemotherapy bag to determine the solution that it is mixed in. Is it normal saline or dextrose? Grab a piggyback (50 or 100 mL) of the same solution from your pyxis.

• 2

  Go to the medication preparation area of the nursing station and place an absorbent pad on the counter. This will soak up the chemotherapy drugs should there be any spills.

• 3

  Don a chemosafety gown to prevent chemotherapy drugs from splashing onto your clothes. Wear two pairs of latex gloves; intense friction may make it difficult to put on the second pair, so go one size larger.

Priming the Tubing

• 4

  Clamp the IV tubing. Spike the solution piggyback with the IV tubing and hang the bag on the wall.

• 5

  Slowly open the IV tubing clamp so that the solution flows through the tubing. Make sure that there are no air bubbles in the tubing or they will flow into your patient's bloodstream. If there are air bubbles, simply flick them with your fingers until they travel up the tubing and into the drip chamber.

• 6

  Clamp the IV tubing once the solution flows to the end of the tubing. Take down the solution piggyback from the wall. Remove the IV tubing and use it to spike the chemotherapy bag.

• 7

  Your chemotherapy is now ready to be administered. Keep your gown and gloves on until after you've attached the medication to your patient's IV catheter.