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ATI RN Pharmacology 2019
ATI RN Pharmacology 2019 ( 67 Questions)
A nurse is mixing regular insulin and NPH insulin in the same syringe prior to administering it to a client who has diabetes mellitus.
Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?
Inject air into the NPH (intermediate-acting) insulin vial: Insert the needle into the NPH vial and inject an amount of air equal to the intended NPH insulin dose.
Choice B is wrong because withdrawing the NPH insulin from the vial first would make it difficult to measure the correct dose of regular insulin and also contaminate the regular insulin vial with NPH insulin.
Choice C is wrong because withdrawing the regular insulin from the vial first without injecting air into it would create a vacuum in the vial and make it harder to withdraw the correct dose of insulin.
Withdraw the regular insulin from the vial: Without removing the needle from the regular insulin vial, withdraw the regular insulin dose from the vial.
The correct sequence for mixing regular insulin and NPH insulin in the same syringe is important to ensure proper dosing. The nurse should follow these steps:
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Inject air into the NPH (intermediate-acting) insulin vial: Insert the needle into the NPH vial and inject an amount of air equal to the intended NPH insulin dose.
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Inject air into the regular insulin vial: Next, inject an amount of air equal to the intended regular insulin dose into the regular insulin vial.
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Withdraw the NPH insulin from the vial: Without removing the needle from the NPH vial, withdraw the NPH insulin dose from the vial.
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Withdraw the regular insulin from the vial: Without removing the needle from the regular insulin vial, withdraw the regular insulin dose from the vial.
This sequence ensures that you don't contaminate the vials, and you accurately withdraw the appropriate doses of each insulin type.